Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse, 30, announced Monday morning that he will seek the congressional seat held by 30-year incumbent U.S. Rep. Richard Neal.

Morse will challenge the 70-year-old Neal in the 2020 Democratic primary.

“There’s an urgency to this moment in Massachusetts’ First District and our country, and that urgency is not matched by our current representative in Congress,” said Morse in a statement. “The fact is, the congressman has been largely silent on the issues that matter most. He’s been absent, unaccountable, and unavailable. It’s not just that we need new leadership in Washington. We need new leadership that understands that we can no longer settle for small, incremental, and compromising progress. We need to be on offense. We need to be fighting for something, not just against.”

Morse will host a kick-off event at the Unicorn Inn on 126 High St. in Holyoke at 6 p.m. Monday.

In his campaign announcement, Morse noted he was 22 when first elected mayor — making him Holyoke’s youngest mayor ever. He boasted he has overseen a rebirth in Holyoke, with private investment at an all-time high, unemployment at a 25-year low, crime down 40%, and the high school graduation rate having increased from 49% when Morse took office to 72% today.

He pointed out he was among the first mayors in the country to declare his city a sanctuary city for undocumented immigrants.

Morse’s campaign bio noted he is Holyoke’s first openly gay mayor and came from a working class family. A graduate of Brown University, Morse was the first of his family to graduate from college.

Last year, Neal easily defeated Democratic challenger Tahirah Amatul-Wadud by capturing more than 70% of the votes cast.

As chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, Neal is one of the most powerful members of Congress.

Neal reported more than $1.1 million in contributions during the first half of this year, bringing his campaign war chest to close to $4 million, according to the Associated Press. More than half of Neal’s contributions this year came from political action committees.

Holyoke has been a part of Neal’s district for only the last seven years since the new districts were drawn for the 2012 elections. Before that, the Paper City was part of a district represented most recently by retired U.S. Rep. John Olver, D-Amherst.

Massachusetts’ 1st Congressional District spans all of Berkshire County, as well as parts of Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester counties.

Neal has faced criticism in the lightly populated hilltowns of Berkshire and Hampshire counties for what they perceive to be inattention to them.