U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison could create a political free-for-all in the Minneapolis-based 5th Congressional District if he resigns to become the new chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Ellison on Wednesday confirmed that he would resign his seat if chosen as party chair, following several weeks in which the congressman didn’t commit between resigning or trying to hold his seat while also leading the Democratic Party.

“I have decided to resign as a member of Congress if I win the election for DNC chair,” Ellison said in a statement Wednesday. “Whoever wins the DNC chair race faces a lot of work, travel, planning and resource raising. I will be ‘all-in’ to meet the challenge.”

Ellison has faced pressure from leading Democrats who wanted a full-time chair — particularly after their experience with the party’s last part-time chair, the tumultuous tenure of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Ellison’s resignation would create a special election early next year for his Minneapolis-based congressional seat, one that could attract a crowd of candidates.

At least four different people have so far expressed interest in running for the seat should Ellison resign, including his 2016 Republican opponent and three Democratic state lawmakers. Many more could join them in coming weeks.

State Sens. Scott Dibble and Patricia Torres Ray, both Minneapolis Democrats, said Monday they might run if Ellison resigns.

“I’m trying hard not to get ahead of Keith. I support Keith,” said Dibble, 51. “Nevertheless … it was important for me to start organizing my thoughts and my actions.”

Torres Ray, like Dibble, said she supports Ellison’s run for Democratic National Committee chair. She said she was encouraged to run by friends.

“The 5th District is one of the most diverse districts in the country,” said Torres Ray, 52. “We need to have a person in Congress who is able to articulate… the needs and the challenges as well as the opportunities that we bring to the national table. I feel that I’m qualified to do that.”

The Minneapolis-based Star Tribune first reported that Dibble and Torres Ray were considering the seat.

Dibble has served in the Minnesota Legislature since 2001 and is the outgoing chair of the Senate’s transportation committee. Torres Ray has been in the Senate since 2007 and is the outgoing chair of the State and Local Government Committee. She was also an unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant governor in 2010.

Both lawmakers won new four-year terms in the Nov. 8 election but will now be in the minority after Republicans took over the Senate.

State Rep. Peggy Flanagan of St. Louis Park is also considering a run.

“It’s certainly something I’m considering,” said Flanagan, 37. “To be honest, I really need to take some time to figure out what’s best for my family and how I can best serve folks in the district.”

Flanagan won a special election in 2015 and was elected to her first full term in the House in November.

Frank Drake, the Republican candidate who got 22 percent of the vote on Nov. 8 to Ellison’s 69 percent, told the Pioneer Press he would run again, too.

“That’s a definite,” said Drake, who called for a potential special election to be held as soon as possible.

Drake, 57, is a lifelong Minneapolis resident and a Realtor. He has not previously held elected office.

Mike Erlandson, a former chairman of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party who ran unsuccessfully for the 5th District in 2006, said a special election could attract a “larger field of candidates” than usual. That’s because current officeholders wouldn’t have to choose between their existing positions and running for Congress, as they might if the seat were up at a regular November election.

Erlandson said he hasn’t thought about running for the seat himself.

The 5th District includes Minneapolis and the inner ring of suburbs to its north, west and south. It’s the most strongly Democratic district in Minnesota and hasn’t elected a Republican to Congress since 1960.

Ellison has represented the 5th District since 2007. He has attracted some high-profile support for his bid to run the Democratic Party, including from former presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders. But some leading Democrats have criticized the possibility of a part-time chair, leading Ellison this weekend to publicly float the possibility of resigning his seat in Congress should he be chosen as chair.

This article has been updated on Dec. 6 with comment from Torres Ray, and again on Dec. 7 with a statement from Ellison and comments from Flanagan.