Faiz Shakir, who ran Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, is jumping into the race for Democratic National Committee chair, injecting a new candidate into the low-key race.
Shakir confirmed his candidacy in a text message to POLITICO. He The New York Times first reported Shakir’s decision.
Shakir’s late entry into the race could shake up a race that has largely focused on the mechanics of the party rather than its ideology. In a letter to members of the Democratic National Committee, Shakir said he feels “frustrated” by the “lack of vision and conviction on what to do to restore a deeply damaged Democratic brand,” which motivated his decision to join the race.
“We all seemingly agree, at least rhetorically, that focusing on recovering America’s diverse working class is the top priority,” Shakir wrote in his letter to members of the Democratic National Committee. “But listening to our candidates, I sense a limited, status quo style of thinking. “We cannot expect the working-class public to see us differently if we offer nothing new or substantial to attract their support.”
But Shakir begins his candidacy well behind Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler and Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chairman Ken Martin, both of whom have filed high-profile endorsements and blocked some of the 448 DNC members, who will vote for their party chair on February 1. Former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley has also built a bloc of support among DNC members.
The Democratic National Committee chair candidates will participate in their second forum on Thursday in Michigan, but Shakir, who entered the race on Wednesday, will not be on stage. There are two more forums scheduled for January.
In his letter to members, Shakir laid out part of his platform for his candidacy, including a promise to turn the Democratic National Committee into “an organizing army” with its own “powerful media outlet” that will publish its own “compelling original content.” .