Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison upped his bid for the Democratic National Committee Chairman job last month, promising union leaders he would step down from his congressional seat to focus on the party if elected.

Ellison made the concession during a private meeting with the AFL-CIO, a national federation of labor organizations, according to The Washington Times.

Following the report, Ellison released a statement Wednesday morning confirming his intentions.

“In order to further their commitment and maximize my effectiveness, I have decided to resign as a member of Congress if I win the election for DNC chair,” Ellison wrote. “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 went on to address concerns of a shrinking DNC electorate, arguing Democrats “must be the party that delivers for working people,” indeed, “For me, that means a chair with only one full time commitment.”