In an interesting development in Maine’s race for governor, Former Maine CDC director Dr. Nirav Shah has stated that he is considering running for governor in 2026, replacing current governor, Janet Mills.  

Shah, who is best known for his time leading the Maine State Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the Coronavirus pandemic, as well as hosting statewide televised press conferences over Zoom, has told Maine Public that he is “considering a run for governor.”

While serving as director of the Maine CDC, Shah became the face of Maine’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic during a time when the crisis was becoming increasingly political. 

Shah told Maine Public that he “acknowledges that decisions made then might be relitigated during a campaign for governor. But he says he welcomes the debate.” 

Commenting on speculation that he may also run for the United States Senate, Shah says, “In this moment, states are of outsized importance. States and state governments are where the rights of Mainers are going to be stood up for and where our rights as a state are established and defended” 

If he decides to run for governor, Shah will become the seventh democrat to file their candidacy in the race, making it the largest field of candidates in a Maine Governor’s race in over 20 years.