Dr. Nirav Shah, who ran a rigorous campaign for Governor of Maine and lost the Democratic primary, is now making a bid for the US Senate seat in place of disgraced Democratic candidate Graham Platner who is withdrawing after allegations of sexual misconduct. Shah, who is described as “The Covid Guy” by Politico, is among numerous options being considered by the Democratic Party, to replace Platner at short notice in the race for the US Senate.
In an email blast July 7, 2026, Shah said he had “received hundreds of encouraging messages” to consider a run for the US Senate. By July 9 afternoon, he formally declared his campaign for a Capitol Hill seat in the Upper House.
“Right now, our number one priority must be defeating Senator Susan Collins,” he opined, referring to the long time Republican moderate who has occupied that seat.
Shah said he has been consulting with family, friends, and his campaign team and Mainers across the state before deciding, which according to an update, revealed “an outpouring of support” from grassroots supporters. To pre-empt any background dealings by the Maine Democratic Party when determining the nominating process, Sha asserted, “one thing is clear: the process should be transparent and open. Mainers deserve to see and hear directly from the candidates seeking to represent our state at the highest level.”
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He demanded that anyone running for this nomination should agree to at least one televised debate and hold multiple public town halls across every corner of the state.
During his campaign for governor, Shah’s team hosted more than 30 town halls — more than anyone else in the primary, but he lost to fellow Democrat Hannah Pingree in the fourth round of counting when Pingree won 56.2 percent of the Democratic vote and Shah received 43.8 percent, Ballotpedia reported.
Shah is hoping his grassroots outreach for the gubernatorial campaign could pay off if he runs for Senate.
“We received the most votes in the first round, won both of Maine’s congressional districts, and won or led in more towns than any other candidate: 198 communities across suburban, rural, and working-class Maine. Those votes of trust are not something I take lightly,” he said about his gubernatorial primary.
Politico, in its analysis of the fallout from Platner’s withdrawal from the US Senate race, noted that while veteran state politician Troy Jackson, 58, was getting attention, and received Senator Bernie Sanders’ support, “he (Jackson) finished a distant third in last month’s gubernatorial primary behind public health official Nirav Shah and the eventual winner, Hannah Pingree.”
Politico went on to note that “the Covid guy” Shah, 49, “received more votes than any other candidate in that same gubernatorial primary, and was only beaten in the final round of ranked-choice voting.”
Dr. Shah, the news outlet noted is “universally known” in Maine for his four-year leadership of the state Center for Disease Control and Prevention at the height of the pandemic from 2019 to 2023.
“Shah became a cult figure” Politico said, during the pandemic, coming across to the public for his “compassionate and relatable handling of the crisis.”
“He (Shah) amassed a large online fanbase, and his face appeared on T-shirts, mugs and candy bars,” Politico noted, but also pointed to several other alternative candidates trying to position themselves as Platner replacements.
But Shah has hopes. “I’m not an establishment politician, and I’m not an insider. I’m a public servant who served Maine through one of its darkest times,” Shah said. “Our campaign built a powerful grassroots movement from scratch, without outside backing, institutional support, or major political endorsements. We proved that Mainers are hungry for leadership that is honest, independent, and focused on making life better for working people,” Shah claimed.
(Updated July 10, 2026)