Faiz Shakir, a longtime Democratic political operative who managed Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign, has joined the race for Democratic National Committee chairman just weeks before the vote.

In an interview with NBC News, Shakir said Democratic leadership needs to refocus on the broader issues facing the party rather than the details of how the DNC itself operates.

"We were talking about how to keep the kitchen clean when the Titanic sank," Shakir said of why he's running. "The Democratic Party's brand is the problem, and we spend our time worrying about, oh, consultant contracts and whether the state has enough money."

Members of the Democratic National Committee are scheduled to vote on February 1 to elect a new chairman, the first step in rebuilding the party after losing the 2024 presidential election. Current Democratic National Committee Chairman Jamie Harrison said he will not seek re-election to the party organization's leadership post after Vice President Kamala Harris lost to President-elect Donald Trump.

Since then, a handful of candidates have joined, led by two Midwestern state party chairmen, Ken Martin of Minnesota and Ben Wikler of Wisconsin. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is also running along with several other candidates, but Martin and Wikler have attracted the most attention so far.

However, Shakir confirmed to NBC News that he has now participated in the game, which is 17 days away. The New York Times first reported Shakir's candidacy.

Shakir said that while Democratic leadership has room for social media posts and high-level forums, the party needs to focus on personal interactions.

"In today's society, where people are feeling increasingly lonely and isolated, you know, often in digital media, can we be one of those organizations that fills the void and becomes a place to gather in person and build community with each other and allow us to again Be human?" he said.

Shakir suggested those olive branches should include delivering pizza to striking union workers and hosting Super Bowl beer watch parties as ways to curry favor with Democrats.

"When you stick your head out and say, hey, I'm going to do something you didn't expect me to do, they're going to notice," he said. "You know, it just requires challenging your conventional wisdom about what the Democratic National Committee does."

Shakir threw cold water on the idea last November when he joined NBC News' Chuck Todd "The Chuck Todd Cast" before deciding to run for Democratic National Committee chairman.

“I didn’t think I could actually run a campaign and win,” Shakir said at the time. "I don't think anyone wants me to be chairman of the Democratic National Committee."

Shakir refuted those comments in an interview with NBC News on Wednesday.

"I made some assumptions about people who I thought might run, but they decided not to run," Shakir said.

Shakir has served in many different roles within the Democratic Party over his decades. Since managing Sanders' second presidential campaign, he has led the nonprofit Alliance for a More Perfect, which describes itself as an advocacy news outlet. Shakir previously served as the political director of the American Civil Liberties Union and was an aide to former Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and former House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.