Polling Average
60%50%40%30%20%10%0%
46%
45.5%
Maine Senate winner? (Person)
$1.4M
NOV 7, 2026
General Election
Voters choose the office holder.
Overview
Current rolePublic health leader
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyMainstream Democrat
GenderMale
LocationMaine
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BackgroundPublic health leader
EducationB.S., University of Louisville
Notable personal detailsNirav Dinesh Shah is an American physician, attorney, economist, and public health leader who is a Democratic candidate for Governor of Maine in 2026. He served as Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2019–2023) and later as Principal Deputy Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (March 2023–February 2025), including a brief period as acting CDC director in July 2023. He has also served as Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health (2015–2019) and has been a visiting professor at Colby College.
SourcesShowHide
pressherald.comen.wikipedia.orgshahformaine.commaine.govmainepublic.orgfalconebiz.comhelloindia.coplanetexim.netmartindale.comreference.orgsupremecourt.govidcrawl.comcorporatedir.comca.linkedin.comthecompanycheck.comcentralmaine.comsymphonylimited.comrestoredcdc.orgmainehealth.orgwashingtonpost.comcontent.govdelivery.combeckersphysicianleadership.comwmtw.combangordailynews.comgivegreen.comndtv.comopenthemagazine.comfortuneindia.comtheindiaforum.inindialegallive.comtheweek.inctj.orgwshu.orgfarmington.eduwgme.comnewsindiatimes.com314action.orgpredictionedge.cominstagram.comfacebook.comqa.linkedin.comballotready.orgcollins.senate.govpingree.house.govwhitehouse.govfec.govvotesmart.orgdurbin.senate.govmoran.house.govdeveloper.ballotpedia.orgking.senate.govgovinfo.govcongress.govdocs.house.gov
Positions
LiberalConservative
Economy & Taxes
Supports subsidizing low-income housing and expanding services like child care and health care; opposes offering tax breaks to attract companies to Maine. Emphasizes growing the economy by attracting purpose-driven employers while prioritizing funding for social programs rather than business tax incentives.
Healthcare
Nirav Dinesh Shah’s campaign emphasizes funding healthcare and improving access as one of its priorities, but the campaign materials and public coverage provide only high-level commitments rather than detailed policy proposals. Available sources describe his background as a public-health leader and list healthcare funding/access among campaign priorities without specifying support for particular reforms such as a public option, Medicaid expansion changes, or Medicare for All.
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Immigration & Border
The candidate has criticized recent federal immigration enforcement actions in Maine as dehumanizing and urged community organizing and documenting interactions with ICE; he said the state should cooperate with the federal government while also standing up to it when necessary. These statements emphasize protecting communities from aggressive enforcement while not calling explicitly for large-scale regularization or broad deportation policies.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
Supports protecting access to reproductive health care and says he is proud of Maine’s liberal abortion laws; frames reproductive health care as a right that states must defend.
Climate & Energy
Supports sustainable policies to reduce environmental risks and expand clean-energy opportunities; commits to bold climate action and protecting clean air, water, and resilience to climate impacts while promoting economic growth tied to clean energy. Emphasizes evidence-driven solutions linking a healthy environment to public health and the economy.
News
AINews Summary
Last updatedJul 10, 2026
Nirav Shah is being discussed as a possible replacement nominee for Maine Democrats in the 2026 U.S. Senate race after Graham Platner said he will withdraw. The party is moving quickly to pick a new candidate by convention before the July 27 ballot deadline. Shah is one of several names under consideration, alongside Troy Jackson, Shenna Bellows, Dan Kleban, Jordan Wood, and Paige Loud.
pressherald.com+53
Articles
PPOLITICO6 days ago
A bunch of failed candidates are scrambling to replace Graham Platner
Neutral
NNewsweek10 days ago
Who Could Replace Graham Platner in Maine Race? Nine Possible Contenders
Neutral
PPPortland Press Herald7 days ago
Who’s running to replace Graham Platner - and who isn’t
Neutral
AOArkansas Online6 days ago
Democrats jockey to replace Platner
Neutral
Polls
Aggregation source: FiftyPlusOne
Endorsements
Maine Democratic Governor nominee?
Endorsers of Nirav Dinesh Shah for Maine Democratic Governor nominee?
Maine Education Association
Advocacy group
The Maine Education Association endorsed Nirav Shah third in its ranked-choice gubernatorial endorsement.
Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline
Elected official
Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline endorsed Nirav Shah for governor.
Dozens of Maine health care workers and leaders
Elected official
Dozens of Maine health care workers and leaders endorsed Nirav Shah for governor.
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
- Fundraising