A few weeks before the vote, Faiz Shakir, a seasoned Democratic political strategist who oversaw Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, is entering the race to become the DNC head.
On February 1, DNC members will cast their votes for a new chair as the party begins to recover from its 2024 presidential defeat. Following Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss to President-elect Donald Trump, current DNC head Jaime Harrison declared he will not run for reelection.
A few candidates have since gotten in, led by two chairs of Midwestern state parties, Ben Wikler of Wisconsin and Ken Martin of Minnesota. There are a few other contenders in the race, including former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, but Martin and Wikler have garnered the most interest thus far.
However, Shakir acknowledged to NBC News that he has entered the tournament with 17 days remaining.Shakir’s admission into the race was initially reported by the New York Times.
Shakir stated to the Times that he is running because he believes the Democratic Party brand is “broken” and that the chair contest should concentrate on more general problems facing the party rather than the specifics of how the DNC will be conducted.
Over the course of decades, Shakir has served in a variety of capacities within the Democratic Party. He has led the nonprofit organization More Perfect Union, which bills itself as an advocacy media platform, since overseeing Sanders’ second presidential campaign. Shakir formerly worked as the ACLU’s political director and as an advisor to former House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid.