Former Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Nirav Shah has withdrawn from the Democratic primary for the US Senate, saying party unity is essential to defeating incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins.
Shah announced his decision on Sunday, just a day after addressing delegates at the Maine Democratic Special Nominating Meeting in Augusta.
Explaining his withdrawal in a statement posted on X, Shah said his decision was driven by the same goal that prompted him to enter the race.
“A few weeks ago, I entered this race because I could not accept the idea of Susan Collins gliding to a sixth term at the very moment Maine families are being forced to pay the price for her votes,” he wrote.
“Today, I am stepping aside, and I am doing it for exactly the same reason that led me to get in: we must defeat Susan Collins, and the Democratic Party must be unified to do it.”
His exit came shortly after Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows also suspended her Senate campaign.
Both Shah and Bellows had sought the Democratic nomination following the withdrawal of oyster farmer Graham Platner, whose campaign collapsed after allegations of rape, abuse and racism surfaced.
With Platner out of the race, Democrats in Maine have been searching for a new standard-bearer. More than 10 candidates joined the contest, but former state Senator Troy Jackson has emerged as the frontrunner.
Shah endorsed Jackson after ending his campaign, describing him as the strongest candidate to challenge Collins in the general election.
The endorsement marked a shift from Shah’s position just a day earlier when he argued that he was the Democrat best placed to unseat the longtime senator.
“Senator Collins has been able to be elected and re-elected is that every cycle she peels off a small percentage of Democrats who cross over and vote for her. The key to defeating Senator Collins is achieving party unity,” Shah said on Saturday.
“The candidate who can keep Democrats unified is going to be the candidate who is most able to defeat her. The reason why that matters is that I am the candidate that has the strongest case for electability,” he added.
Shah’s campaign had also faced criticism from some Democrats. Earlier in the race, Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois argued that Maine deserved “a better” candidate, citing Shah’s handling of a fatal Legionnaires’ disease outbreak during his time leading Illinois’ public health department.
