MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison is facing some tough questions amid his bid for chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

The New York Times published a story Wednesday alleging some of President Obama’s top aides are looking for an alternative to Ellison, who they see as too liberal — and potentially controversial — to be a uniting force in a turbulent time for the Democratic Party.

The story also alleges Ellison canceled a scheduled phone interview with the Times when he learned the reporter planned to ask about the Congressman’s past ties to the Nation of Islam and its controversial leader Louis Farrakhan. During his first congressional bid in 2006, several articles from the Minnesota Daily in the 1990s surfaced in which Ellison expressed support for Farrakhan, who has made many anti-semitic comments in the past. Ellison also reportedly worked with the Nation of Islam for months during that same period.

After canceling, Ellison’s staff emailed the Times a list of his links to the Jewish community and a statement that said, “Democrats need an organizer who will energize the grass-roots across this country to build the party from the bottom up.”

He later released a statement on his support for Israel:

“I support Israel. And I have long supported a two-state solution and a democratic and secure state for the Jewish people, with a democratic and viable Palestinian state side-by-side in peace and dignity. “As I told Senator Schumer before he endorsed me, as Chair of the Democratic National Committee, I will continue to support the DNC platform, which I voted for as a member of the Platform Drafting Committee. The platform affirms: • Support for a strong and secure Israel, including its right of self-defense

• Opposition to the BDS Movement

• Support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”

But the concerns behind Ellison’s bid run beyond politics — many have expressed concern over Ellison serving as both Congressman and DNC Chair in a time of crisis for the party. On WCCO Sunday Morning, Ellison addressed those concerns, saying, “I’m very active here in the district. I’m all over the place, but I’ve gone to 30 different states to help candidates all over this country in the last two years. … I’m an energetic person, I work really hard.”

Even before announcing his candidacy, Ellison earned a continuous stream of endorsements from Democrats on both the progressive left — such as Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders — and the establishment wing of the party, like Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

But the report in the Times says Ellison may see some formidable challengers in the coming weeks, like Labor Secretary Tom Perez, whom many in the White House are encouraging to run.

The vacancy for DNC chair came earlier this year, when leaked emails from within the organization forced Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to resign from her position. Longtime party strategist Donna Brazile is currently serving as interim chair.