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. NEW: Republican Mike Johnson reelected House speaker after dramatic floor vote Paolino, reflecting on how Democrats performed, said the party talked about issues that "the majority didn't want to focus on," which allowed Trump to "create the perception that he was for the working person." Paolino considers himself a moderate Democrat and emphasized the need to bring back voters that his party lost, saying if elected vice chair he would first "listen to them." "There's no quick fix, and I don't think you win an election just by saying Donald Trump is a bad guy," he said. "You know that's part of winning an election, but that's not the only way you win an election -- you've got to come out with good proposals yourself." Paolino added that he'd also like to see "better messaging" from the party. He also said that both R.I. Democratic Party Chairwoman Liz Beretta-Perik and National Committeewoman Nicole Verdi support his bid. The vote for DNC leadership takes place on Feb. 1 in Maryland. Paolino said he'll be participating in public forums during the month of January, including a virtual one on Jan. 11 and an in-person one in Detroit on Jan. 16. NEXT: Smithfield’s Tikoian named to No. 3 role in RI Senate Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Nesi's Notes SIGN UP NOW