Nirav Shah is making fundraising calls to gauge Maine Senate race
Nirav Shah, the 49‑year‑old former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, is weighing a bid for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Susan Collins. Shah, who finished second in the Democratic gubernatorial primary earlier this summer, said he has been holding early conversations with potential donors and feels “optimistic and enthusiastic about my ability to fundraise again and be able to unseat Sen. (Susan) Collins here,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
Shah’s possible entry into the race comes after Democrat Graham Platner announced on Wednesday evening that he would withdraw from the contest following allegations that he sexually assaulted a former romantic partner in 2021. Platner, who has denied the accusations, was facing mounting pressure from party leaders and the public to step aside. The Maine Democratic Party said it will convene roughly 600 delegates in person before the end of the month to nominate a replacement for Platner.
Before Platner’s announcement, Shah said he had not made a definitive decision about entering the Senate race. “I’m still talking it over with my family,” he explained, adding that the groundwork he built during his gubernatorial campaign—including his donor list, field organization and communications infrastructure—could be adapted for a Senate bid.
Shah noted that he led the first‑round voting in the Democratic governor’s primary, capturing about 27 % of the vote in a five‑candidate field, and that he “has the most first‑round votes.” Although he ultimately lost the ranked‑choice runoff to Hannah Pingree, he said the experience has prepared him for a statewide contest. “We both share the same progressive ideals of Medicare for All, halting arms sales to Israel, holding corporations accountable for destroying our environment and taxing the billionaire class to make sure that those who can pay more are paying more,” he said.
Fundraising prospects appear encouraging. While he declined to name specific contributors, Shah indicated that “the initial, very preliminary fundraising calls that I’ve had have been met with a high degree of enthusiasm and pledges to support my efforts if I were to get in.” He suggested that the existing campaign apparatus could be repurposed, reducing the time and cost needed to launch a Senate campaign.
Troy Jackson, the former Senate president who finished third in the Democratic governor’s primary, is also exploring a Senate run and sent out a fundraising email on Wednesday. “This U.S. Senate race, like the governor’s race, has never been about one single person or one single policy,” Jackson wrote. “It’s about the fact that our systems have been rigged for the ultra‑wealthy oligarchs for far too long. Working‑class folks have been left behind, shut down, and shut out — not just by the extreme MAGA GOP, but by our own party’s elite, too.”
The filing period for the Senate seat closes later this month, and the Democratic Party’s convention will determine its official nominee. If Shah decides to proceed, he would join a field that already includes Jackson and potentially other contenders, all aiming to challenge Collins in what analysts expect to be one of the most expensive races in Maine history, with projected spending approaching $500 million—more than double the record set in the 2020 Collins‑Gideon contest.
