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Democrat Nirav Shah, former Maine CDC Director and former Principal Deputy Director of the U.S. CDC, announced he is running for governor of Maine. An attorney, economist, public health leader, and former head of the Maine CDC, Shah led the state through the pandemic and is running to bring that leadership to the governor’s office.
“Over the years, I’ve been lucky to talk with thousands of Mainers from every corner of our state, and hear their worries and aspirations. Maine is at a crossroads, and we need a governor with proven leadership experience who is ready to tackle our challenges on day one. I’m running for governor to honor what works, fix what doesn’t, and deliver results for our state.”
In 2019, Governor Janet Mills appointed Shah to be Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. As head of the Maine CDC, he immediately got to work rebuilding an agency that had been decimated by the previous Republican administration.
As the threat of COVID-19 emerged, in early 2020, Shah secured personal protective equipment for healthcare workers and worked with a Maine company to significantly expand the state’s capacity to perform testing, which ultimately saved lives.
“As Maine CDC Director, I saw how we could get through incredibly tough times together with empathy, resilience, and vision. I’ll bring those same values as governor to tackle big challenges: the unsustainable increases to the cost of living and housing, an economy that’s not delivering for people, and a rural health care system that’s struggling and will only get worse because of Trump,” said Shah.
Later, Maine’s vaccine rollout became a model for the nation, achieving among the fastest and highest vaccination rates of any state. Despite the harm that the pandemic brought, Maine had among the lowest death rates in the country.
“The challenges facing our state require a leader with a different skill set to bring Mainers more than they have today. I’ve run organizations with tens of thousands of employees and managed multi-billion dollar budgets by being curious, asking tough questions, and demanding accountability. As governor, I will run toward tough problems, not away from them,” said Shah.
President Biden’s administration tapped Shah to be the Principal Deputy Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention–the agency’s second in command. After President Trump’s election, Shah returned home to Maine and is currently a visiting professor at Colby College, teaching the next generation of public health leaders.
He resides in Brunswick with his wife, Kara, and their German Shepherd, Fritz.