Jeffries has long been known to covet the Congressional seat, however, it remained a question as to whether he would give up his safe Assembly seat to challenge the longtime incumbent.

Towns withstood a fierce campaign against him in 2006 by Councilman Charles Barron and Assemblyman Roger Green, but has managed to hold on to the seat. He was thought to want his son, Darryl Towns, to succeed him in Congress, but the younger Towns recently took a job as Governor Andrew Cuomo's housing czar.

If Jeffries decides to go through with a campaign, it could send shockwaves through the rest of the Brooklyn political scene. The list of candidates who have been lining up for that seat is long, and includes not just Jeffries and Barron, but City Councilmember Letitia James.

Jeffries has already started an exploratory website, available for viewing here.