EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Former Providence Mayor Joe Paolino is throwing his hat into the ring for a leadership position within the national Democratic Party.
Paolino, who is the state party’s national committeeman, said on Friday that he’s running for vice chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
“Quite frankly, the recent election that we had,” Paolino told 12 News when asked what motivated him to run. “I felt that the Democratic Party got away from kitchen table issues, real issues that affect families, working families.”
The former mayor led the capital city from 1984 until 1991, when he didn’t seek another term after an unsuccessful run for governor in 1990. He also briefly served as ambassador to Malta under President Bill Clinton in the 1990s before unsuccessfully running for Congress in 1996 and mayor in 2002.
The leadership elections for the national party come as Democrats do some soul-searching following Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss to former President Donald Trump in November.