Democrat Nirav Shah, former Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and former Principal Deputy Director of the U.S. CDC, announced on October 20, 2025, that he is running for Governor of Maine.
“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,” Shah said in a statement.
An attorney, economist, and seasoned public health leader, Shah emphasized that he led Maine through an unprecedented public health crisis with clarity and compassion. He now seeks to bring the same steady leadership to the governor’s office.
“As Maine CDC Director, I saw how we could get through incredibly tough times together with empathy, resilience, and vision,” he added. “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.”
Shah said Maine’s challenges demand a leader equipped with diverse skills and a results-driven mindset. He noted that he has managed organizations with tens of thousands of employees and overseen multi-billion-dollar budgets. “By being curious, asking tough questions, and demanding accountability,” he said, he intends to “run toward tough problems, not away from them.”
In 2019, Governor Janet Mills appointed Shah as Director of the Maine CDC, where he immediately began rebuilding the agency after it had been severely weakened by the prior Republican administration. When COVID-19 emerged, Shah acted swiftly, securing personal protective equipment for healthcare workers and partnering with a Maine company to expand testing capacity, measures that were credited with saving lives.
Under his leadership, Maine’s vaccine rollout became a national model, achieving some of the country’s fastest and highest vaccination rates. Despite the global turmoil of the pandemic, Maine maintained one of the lowest COVID-19 death rates in the United States.
“In one of our most challenging times, Shah brought people together and led us through a crisis,” the statement added.
Recognized for his effective leadership, President Biden’s administration later appointed Shah as Principal Deputy Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency’s second-highest position. Following President Trump’s election, Shah returned to Maine, where he currently serves as a visiting professor at Colby College, teaching future public health leaders.
Shah lives in Brunswick with his wife, Kara, and their German Shepherd, Fritz. Outside of work, he enjoys hiking, cooking, and exploring Maine’s breweries.
