DoomsdaysCW<p>Claudia Sheinbaum is a scientist. You know who else is a scientist? Dr. <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NiravShah" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NiravShah</span></a> -- and he's thinking about running for governor of Maine! Boy, if there is anyone I trust, it's Dr. Shah. He was really upfront when he was the director of the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MaineCDC" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>MaineCDC</span></a> during the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Covid" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Covid</span></a> pandemic, and if he didn't know something, he admitted it -- and then would follow up at the next press conference! More of this, please...!</p><p>Dr. Nirav Shah says he’s considering run for Maine governor</p><p>Shah was the face of Maine’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and went on to become a top federal health official during the Biden administration.</p><p>Joe Lawlor, August 15, 2025</p><p>BRUNSWICK — "Maine’s former CDC director, Dr. Nirav Shah, is considering a run for governor.</p><p>" 'I think we are in a moment where all of us should be considering running for something,' Shah said in an exclusive interview with the Press Herald Friday. 'I’m considering throwing my hat into the governor’s race.'</p><p>"Shah said that if he ran, it would be as a Democrat.</p><p>" 'I’m considering, but have not yet committed to running,' he said. He said he didn’t have a timetable for when he would make a final decision.</p><p>"Shah, 48, became the face of Maine’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and went on to become a top federal health official during the Biden administration. He recently launched a <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PublicHealth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>PublicHealth</span></a> education program at <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ColbyCollege" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ColbyCollege</span></a>, where he is a visiting professor.</p><p>"Shah had a high-profile role as the director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention during the pandemic, when he often appeared on TV and online explaining the coronavirus to the public and answering journalists’ questions. Chocolate bars were named after him, coffee mugs were inscribed with the words 'In Dr. Shah We Trust,' and he enjoyed a large online fan club.</p><p>"As a result of the state’s response to the pandemic, Maine had one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the nation, at more than 80% fully vaccinated.</p><p>"Shah left Maine in 2023 after being tapped by the Biden administration to become principal deputy director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. While at the U.S. CDC, Shah helped lead the response to the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BirdFlu" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>BirdFlu</span></a>.</p><p>"Shah also helped during the transition from the Biden to the Trump administration, where his last day on the job was Feb. 28.</p><p>Source:<br><a href="https://www.pressherald.com/2025/08/15/dr-nirav-shah-says-hes-considering-run-for-maine-governor/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">pressherald.com/2025/08/15/dr-</span><span class="invisible">nirav-shah-says-hes-considering-run-for-maine-governor/</span></a></p><p>Archived version:<br><a href="https://archive.md/4W5GK" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="">archive.md/4W5GK</span><span class="invisible"></span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MainePol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>MainePol</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ShahForGovernor" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ShahForGovernor</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ShahForMaine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ShahForMaine</span></a></p>