Epidemiologist Nirav Shah Enters Maine US Senate Race, Replacing Platner
Quick Look
- Epidemiologist Nirav Shah has entered the Maine US Senate race, replacing Graham Platner who withdrew amid sexual assault allegations.
- Shah, a former director of the Maine CDC and advocate for Medicare for All, aims to challenge incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Epidemiologist Nirav Shah is entering the Maine US Senate race to replace Graham Platner, who withdrew amid sexual assault allegations. Shah previously ran for governor and served in federal health roles.
Washington, Epidemiologist Nirav D Shah, who lost the Democratic primary for governor of Maine, on Thursday jumped into the race for US Senate from the state after Graham Platner withdrew his candidature amid allegations of sexual assault.
Born in Wisconsin to Indian immigrants, Shah was the director of the Maine Centre for Disease Control during the COVID-19 pandemic, and finished second in the Democratic primaries for the state Governor in the final round.
"As your next United States Senator, I will fight for Medicare for All because nobody in the wealthiest country on earth should go bankrupt over a medical bill," Shah said in a post on X, launching his campaign to be on the ballot for the US Senate elections.
Platner, who won the Democratic primary for the Senate elections, withdrew from the race on Wednesday amid a cloud of allegations of sexual assault, which he termed "false".
The Maine Democratic Party has until July 27 to name a replacement candidate, according to state law.
"Establishment politicians have failed us," Shah said on X. "To defeat Susan Collins, we need an outsider who is not afraid to take on the broken system she has spent decades upholding."
The 73-year-old Collins, a Republican, has been serving as US Senator from Maine since 1997.
Troy Jackson, who also ran for the state governor primary, was the first to announce his candidacy for the US Senate elections after Platner announced his exit on Wednesday.
Shah also served as the principal deputy director, the second-in-command, at the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention during President Joe Biden's tenure. He also served as director of the Illinois Health Department.
Shah completed his medical and law degrees at the University of Chicago. After graduating from college, he studied economics at Oxford University.
Currently, Shah is a visiting professor at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. His LinkedIn profile states that he speaks Gujarati, Khmer and Spanish besides English.
Shah is married to Kara Palamountain, a research professor at Northwestern University, and both are avid home cooks.
Open Questions
- Will the Maine Democratic Party accept Shah as the replacement candidate?
- What will be the impact of Platner's withdrawal on the Senate race?
