Nirav Shah exits Maine Senate race, ending a rare Indian American bid

Dr. Nirav Shah, the former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention director who joined the state’s U.S. Senate contest less than two weeks ago, has ended his campaign and endorsed former state Senate President Troy Jackson, the Democratic front-runner to replace embattled Graham Platner.

Shah announced his withdrawal Sunday, calling the decision necessary to unify Democrats against Republican Sen. Susan Collins. “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,” he said.

His endorsement of Collins came less than a day after he told delegates at a nominating meeting that he was the field’s most electable candidate. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows dropped her own bid as well.

As we previously reported, Shah, an Indian American physician, was among the few Asian Americans to seek a U.S. Senate seat from Maine, where AAPI residents form a small share of the electorate. Now, his departure closes what had been a rare opening for Indian American representation in Democratic politics, and weeks after he led the first round of the party’s gubernatorial primary before losing the ranked-choice runoff.

Maine Democrats convene Saturday in Bangor to settle on a nominee ahead of a July 27 deadline, with Jackson expected to win after locking up most of the state’s delegates last weekend.