The Maine U.S. Senate race has taken a dramatic turn. Former Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah has officially entered the Democratic Senate race just hours after Democratic candidate Graham Platner withdrew following assault allegations, which Platner has denied.
Announcing his campaign in Freeport, Maine, Shah pledged to move the state forward and vowed to take on Republican Senator Susan Collins in what is expected to be one of the state's most closely watched political battles. Shah also said there was "very little light" between himself and Platner on policy, signaling continuity while promising new leadership.
#NiravShah #MaineSenateRace #SusanCollins #GrahamPlatner #MainePolitics #BreakingNews #USSenate #Election2026 #Democrats #Republicans #PoliticalNews #USPolitics #Campaign2026 #SenateRace #WorldNews #TrendingNews #America #BreakingPolitics #ElectionNews #NewsUpdate
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Announcing his campaign in Freeport, Maine, Shah pledged to move the state forward and vowed to take on Republican Senator Susan Collins in what is expected to be one of the state's most closely watched political battles. Shah also said there was "very little light" between himself and Platner on policy, signaling continuity while promising new leadership.
#NiravShah #MaineSenateRace #SusanCollins #GrahamPlatner #MainePolitics #BreakingNews #USSenate #Election2026 #Democrats #Republicans #PoliticalNews #USPolitics #Campaign2026 #SenateRace #WorldNews #TrendingNews #America #BreakingPolitics #ElectionNews #NewsUpdate
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NewsTranscript
00:00Can you all hear me? Yes. Okay. My name is Erin Evans. I was a neighborhood organizer for Grand
00:08Platner's campaign. I joined the campaign at the beginning last September because I know that just
00:14voting isn't enough to beat Susan Collins. I worked with many other newly activated volunteers
00:21as we created a grassroots organization the likes of which has never before been seen in Maine for
00:29a federal race. A movement built by thousands of regular people Mainers who believe that together
00:36we can change the course of our state's history and take back our democracy. We stood in freezing
00:43January weather collecting signatures. We knocked doors, made calls, created art, hosted events, and
00:51showed up day after day because we knew this fight was bigger than any one of us and it was
00:57for all of
00:57us. All of us alongside each other simultaneously hundreds even thousands of other Mainers doing
01:05the same thing for one purpose to defeat Susan Collins and take back our democracy for everyday
01:14Mainers. I spent the last year talking with people who don't have the luxury of tuning politics out
01:22anymore because when things get harder we feel it right away. The rigged system has been undermining our
01:30way of life for years at a growingly alarming rate. In rent, at the grocery store, at the gas station,
01:41the stress of trying to make everything hold together all the while keep our families together and safe.
01:46We see our environment being degraded, climate changing, endless wars being run by profiteering
01:54corporations, and ICE kidnapping our neighbors off the streets. People activated by the relentless
02:01realization that so many Mainers are desperate for a new kind of politics. This U.S. Senate campaign was
02:10never built on one person or for one person. It was built on the undeniable fact that working
02:17people deserve better than this.
02:26We need to take the reins ourselves and demand it. We aren't asking, we are acting, and we are standing
02:35with
02:36Nerov Shah.
02:49The people of Maine believe in a level playing field for everyone and we care deeply about our neighbors.
02:57and we know in order to bring fairness back to our economy and to people we have to fight for
03:05it
03:05now in this election that's why I'm here today I'm proud to stand among so many Mainers who
03:14represent small business owners farmers veterans doctors and nurses retirees young people all
03:22demanding change working mothers first-time voter first-time voters and new volunteers people who
03:29want Susan Collins out of office and and we want Nirov Shaw as our next US senator
03:46Nirov has a vision for the future that stabilizes our country
03:53Nirov is a born communicator and he will join the group of people doing the work to make change in
04:00Washington Nirov will work to solve problems here at home and around the world Nirov will never take
04:07money from AIPAC Nirov has proven that he has what it takes to explain complicated problems
04:16work out solutions and keep people engaged in making lasting systemic change over the past eight
04:25months during the governor's race Nirov held more than 30 town halls across this state he listened
04:31to Mainers he answered tough questions with honesty and smarts and when it was time to choose Mainers
04:38ranked him number one the most in both congressional districts in our state small towns and big towns
04:54suburbs and mill towns coastal islands and mountain towns Mainers know that Nirov
05:00Shaw cares about them and they know he will work for us and us alone Nirov has what it takes
05:13to finally
05:13defeat Susan Collins and once he has done that he will take on the corrupt forces in Washington setting
05:20a new bar for what politics should look like in our future and it will not look like the kind
05:25of
05:25politics played by Susan Collins for the last 30 years as we can all clearly see the people who
05:35have been working so hard in Maine since last summer to defeat Susan Collins are not defeated by what has
05:42happened in the last few hours here here Mainers are going to move forward Nirov can lead and inspire
05:50this co with coalition Susan Collins we are coming for you Nirov Nirov is a proven federal leader and
06:04having led the US CDC through some of its most tenuous times he has dealt with senators members of Congress
06:11and the president himself he has the background the know-how and my god does he have the guts to
06:18take our
06:19message to Washington and make real substantial change for our families and our futures we aren't
06:26starting over we are culminating we are forging a new path built by unshakable term determination and
06:34we will bring change to Maine and to Washington we will win yes Nirov Shaw Nirov Shaw will be Maine's
06:48next
06:48US senator and he will fight the corruption and abhorrent policies that are destroying the middle class and
06:55destroying Maine good afternoon everyone my name is live journey at I'm 18 years old co-founder of the
07:14Midcoast youth activist I've enlisted in the US Coast Guard reserves and I was previously a volunteer
07:19and youth organizer for Grand Plattener's campaign I spent most of my life watching decisions get made
07:25by people who will never have to live with the consequences of them and my generation is expected
07:30to just accept that except that housing will forever be out of reach except that health care is bought and
07:37sold like a commodity except that our men and women in uniform will be sent to serve to sacrifice while
07:44the same people in power keep making the same choices over and over at no cost of their own I
07:51thought that
07:52my time of feeling powerless had come to an end when I started working with the planner campaign but the
07:58last few days of news have been heartbreaking and I saw all the hard-fought and harder-won progress that
08:04I
08:04was so invested in crumble before me but then I remembered why I was so excited for that change
08:10in the first place it was never about one person it was about a movement a movement hand-built by
08:17the
08:17people of Maine and that momentum has not stalled and that energy will never fail it will now have a
08:31new
08:31leader I am a proud member of this country I'm a proud Maine Democrat and I am proud to stand
08:38here
08:38this afternoon alongside all of these incredible Mainers and say and I hope you're listening very
08:43closely Susan come November near of Shaw will be Maine's next year I have learned that service means
09:00standing up for the people of this country it means protecting those who don't have power it means
09:06having the courage to say when something is broken and then get to work fixing it my generation is
09:12mired by this illusion that the future isn't for us thanks to decade thanks to decades of choices that
09:18put corporate profits ahead of working people that allowed leaders to cannibalize the rights of their
09:23constituencies that ends now the people standing here today represent something bigger than a campaign
09:36this is a movement that is coalesced of people who are done waiting for change with near of Shaw as
09:42our
09:43candidate we're going to take on the old guard challenge the status quo and show what's possible
09:48when generations of Mainers step forward with courage conviction and unwavering commitment to see Susan
09:54Collins corrupt politics and spineless leadership out of the US Senate
10:06we're ending a chapter Maine and on election night Maine turns the page with Senator near of Shaw
10:23thank you so much thank you so very much everyone we've got to do a couple of things before we
10:32get
10:32started first I've got to open my diet coke as an aside I have not had a diet coke
10:41in about three weeks it's true it's totally true a close friend of mine who is a health fanatic said
10:49to me near of you know you really got to ease up and give up on the diet coke and
10:54so three weeks ago
10:55I said okay you know what that's fair so I have not had a sip of diet coke in three
11:01weeks and I got to
11:02tell you guys I feel exactly the same and so in honor of marking this momentous occasion I decided to
11:14break
11:14out another diet coke first of all I want to thank all of our volunteers and all of our supporters
11:27for
11:28coming out here today in particular Aaron and live for their incredible remarks but please give
11:33every everyone give yourself I know we have a lot of our colleagues from the media who are not from
11:44Maine who are joining us today I do have one piece of very important late breaking news that I'd like
11:50to
11:50share with everybody as I was driving down here I just saw on social media noted Maine resident and
11:57mystery author Jessica Fletcher has decided to enter the Senate race she lives in a town called Cabot Cove
12:06Maine and for those of you who are out of state who happen to be here I recommend you pay
12:11that town a visit
12:11before you take off from the state now the past few days have been frustrating and downright maddening for
12:21everyone here in Maine but now it is time to focus on the future because our goals of flipping Maine
12:30Senate
12:30seat and the entire US Senate have not changed and that is why this morning I announced my candidacy for
12:40the United
12:40State Senate to defeat Susan Collins to our friends who were supporters of Grand Platter like Aaron and live who
12:59you heard from my message to you this morning this afternoon is clear you have an important place in
13:08this campaign and we welcome your voices this campaign represents the values that we all care about building a
13:17state and a country where everyone can get ahead not just the privileged few respecting our neighbors engaging in
13:25civic dialogue and most importantly holding Donald Trump accountable
13:39this race is a referendum on Senator Collins and her enabling of Donald Trump's worst instincts and most harmful
13:48policies and going forward that is what the focus of this race will be on and in particular determining
13:57which of the candidates is best able to prosecute the case against Senator Collins over the next 117 days
14:11that is the prime reason I have called for an open and transparent process to select the next nominee one
14:18that
14:18prioritizes debates and candidate forums most main voters may not get a say in this nomination but they
14:27should get to see every single candidate in action taking on Senator Collins means going toe to toe with a
14:3530 year
14:36incumbent in the most competitive Senate race in the country and whoever wins this seat will be tasked with
14:43fighting for Maine and Maine people on the national stage from day one Democrats deserve to see in person how
14:53each of us
14:54fights for and articulates what we believe in because after all a core part of the job of a US
15:01senator is not just to
15:02legislate but to communicate and to advocate and you can't assess a candidate's ability to do these things by reading
15:11their press
15:12releases or their fundraising emails you assess it by watching a candidate stand and deliver on a stage taking
15:21hard questions and defending their positions in real time that is democracy in action and that is what Maine voters
15:29deserve
15:37I am ready to debate anytime anywhere on any station that will have us
15:45but this race is also again about focusing on Senator Collins and her aiding and abetting of Donald Trump
15:52Senator Collins has been in Washington nearly 30 years and the longer she stays the less Maine families
16:01have to show for it and now she wants another term but she has had her turn and she has
16:08not delivered
16:08my fellow Mainers we must ask ourselves what does Susan Collins plan to accomplish in the next six years that
16:20she
16:20has not been able to accomplish in the past 30 years
16:30Susan Collins has had 30 years to pass Medicare for all so that no one in the wealthiest country on
16:38earth
16:38goes bankrupt over a medical bill she has not done so
16:45Susan Collins has had 30 years to make billionaires and the biggest corporations pay their fair
16:50share she has not done so she has not done so she has had 30 years to fix our broken
16:56immigration system so that
16:58ICE agents are not conducting indiscriminate sweeps targeting our immigrant neighbors here in Maine or committing fatal
17:06acts of violence like we saw from federal agents in Minnesota and just yesterday in Houston and she has not
17:13done so
17:15she has had 30 years to stand up against reckless foreign wars she has not done so she has had
17:22ample time to stand up against Donald Trump's far right judges and his far wrong cabinet picks and she has
17:31not done so
17:38in her 30 years as a U.S. senator she has done none of those things and Mainers have suffered
17:44as a result she does not get another chance
17:50now senator Collins will tell you that she is running on her decades of experience and seniority but seniority only
17:58matters and works if it delivers for the people of the
18:02people who need it the most Mainers are facing skyrocketing costs a changing economy and threats to their basic rights
18:10and Susan Collins has not stood up for Maine we cannot afford another six years of the status quo
18:20and the fact is not only cannot not only can we not afford it in terms of threats to our
18:26rights we cannot afford it financially either the fact is Maine cannot afford it
18:32another Collins term she touts the dollars that she has brought to Maine but when you look at the math
18:38it becomes clear that Maine loses more than we bring in because of Susan Collins look at the recent budget
18:48battles she backed measures that added restrictive work requirements to food assistance for older Mainers she backed measures that shifted
18:57the administrative burden
18:58and millions of millions of extra of millions of extra administrative costs directly onto the state of Maine and when
19:07Maine and when Maine needed her the most Senator Collins and Donald Trump declined to extend the tax subsidies that
19:16made health care coverage more affordable under the ACA they left working families holding the bag and as a result
19:25Mainers who buy health insurance through the ACA exchange are watching their monthly monthly cost skyrocket by hundreds of dollars
19:33that massive drop in affordability forces people off of insurance entirely and it hits our already struggling rural local hospitals
19:44right where it hurts costing them millions of extra dollars a year in uncompensated care and driving up the cost
19:51of care for the rest of us look at her votes on nutrition
19:54she let cuts slide through that ripped 145 million dollars away from our state's food assistance program take a look
20:04at the Iran war which has led to household costs skyrocketing coffee is up beef is up gas is up
20:11by nearly a dollar in Maine diesel is up which hits loggers as well as lobstermen equally hard and every
20:18time Senator Collins has had an opportunity to check this reckless escalation
20:24she took a pass time and time and time and time again she voted against the reckless escalations that have
20:33led to this conflict and today every single one of us is paying for it at the pump and at
20:40the grocery store the question on the table this afternoon isn't how Maine can afford to go without Susan Collins
20:49the question is how can we possibly afford
20:53her for six more years now this Senate seat does not belong to any political party and it certainly does
21:07not belong to an incumbent who has lost her way this seat belongs to us and this campaign is going
21:16to bring the same energy that we brought to the gubernatorial race this campaign is going to crisscross the state
21:22holding town halls
21:23hearing from Mainers about their struggle and at every turn making the case for why this should be Susan Collins
21:31last term in office
21:40I am ready to do the work I am ready to earn every single vote at the upcoming convention I
21:46am ready to earn every single Mainers vote come November and I am ready to lead this state forward
22:03my fellow Mainers the country is counting on us right now all roads to controlling the Senate go through Maine
22:12but let us not be daunted by that task because in history the country has counted on Maine before and
22:21we have delivered
22:23whether it was the 20th Maine at Little Round Top on a hot July day 163 years ago or Margaret
22:34Chase Smith in the halls of Congress or the nurses who walked in to hospitals in the spring of 2020
22:42when everyone else was walking out when America asks who will stand up for us Maine answers the call
22:59throughout history we always have and this November together we will do so again thank you all so much
23:15thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you now many of the journalists who
23:32are here from Maine know that I love nothing more than taking questions from reporters and we have got a
23:39big
23:39big group here with us today so who'd like to kick us off this afternoon yes please
23:55great great question let me be very clear this nomination belongs to the voters of Maine and no one else
24:01and so it should be Maine and Mainers who decide who the next nominee is full stop once
24:06the nominee is selected we welcome participation in the campaign and help so that we can finally defeat Susan Collins
24:12but until then we'll handle this
24:25that's
24:30that's always a risk Brad and so since uh well boy what day is it
24:38today's Thursday so uh Tuesday uh we put out a statement urging that the state party
24:44focus on three principles openness transparency and robustness anything short of that may yield a nominee
24:51who does not have the requisite buy-in and the requisite trust from the electorate to fully and capably prosecute
24:58the case against Susan Collins
24:59what does that look like in practice well it looks like some of the things I noted Brad open debates
25:05forums were bitten were main voters can see the candidates in action am I concerned about the process
25:11well first I want to see the entirety of the process and we are evaluating that our team has been
25:16in touch
25:16with the party we are learning more about what the process to select delegates will look like and what the
25:22eventual voting
25:22will look like I want to reserve judgment until we see that entire process but so long as it adheres
25:28to the principles that we have
25:29recommended we will participate the truth of the matter is we've got a winning campaign so bring on whatever
25:35process you want we're going to win this nomination
25:41over here and then to you yes
25:43thank you doctor yeah to that point too I'm curious how you're thinking about you know weighing talking to voters
25:48and putting yourself out there in front of voters and also engaging with these delegates
25:51good you know if voters ultimately are going to be voting on mass like they did in the June 9th
25:57primary
25:57how are you yes no it's a good question and my team and I have been thinking about that and
26:03what
26:03we've what we've come to is the realization that those two things are not dissimilar from one another
26:08even though they may involve different works streams of work one feeds into the other which feeds into the
26:13other and so we're going to be doing both in this campaign the delegates are going to want to be
26:18hearing
26:18from people in their communities and the best way to get buzz and to get feedback and buy-in from
26:24people in
26:24communities is to do what we did in the gubernatorial race which is show up in those communities
26:29indeed in our press release this morning announcing my candidacy in addition to talking about
26:34making the case against Susan Collins there was one really important point in the headline
26:38which is that we are simultaneously announcing a series of statewide tours the defeat Susan Collins tour
26:45that was a key feature of it's going to be a lot of fun bring your diet coke that was
26:51a key feature of our
26:52gubernatorial campaign talking to thousands of Mainers and that's what creates the community buy-in so yes
26:59we're going to be doing both not because they are distinct but indeed because they both feed to the same
27:03goal
27:05the primary election had independent voters that changed the markets and demographic of the electorate
27:11this won't be all democrats do you think you will be progressive enough for that audience relative to the primary?
27:19yeah great question Ian and the answer there is yes as well indeed a lot of the independent voters are
27:23themselves
27:24quite progressive that said you know it's clear that what the party is looking for given the overwhelming majority
27:31that Graham himself secured is someone with a progressive voice and I'm proud of the fact that when it comes
27:36to matters of policy there is very little light between Graham and me we are both strong proponents
27:41and I have been throughout my career in healthcare of Medicare for all because healthcare is a human right
27:46for everyone not just a privilege for the few
27:52I'm a strong proponent of making sure that big corporations and the wealthiest pay their fair share the list goes
27:58on
27:59and so I am not as concerned about earning the trust of progressives
28:02what I want to make sure is that my message is getting out there
28:05yeah so yeah thanks Ian
28:06Isha
28:07the main Democratic Party has said the new nominee will essentially have to start from scratch
28:12do you agree and if not what kind of momentum and support particularly financially are you expecting from the climate?
28:17good thanks Isha
28:19in a sense the nominee will be starting from scratch unless it happens to be a nominee who
28:24and I'm just spitballing here
28:27just came off of a statewide campaign with over 850 volunteers the best campaign staff in the United States
28:38and a team of supporters behind them
28:42and so it may be a new race but it's still about earning trust and earning every single vote
28:48and so when I am the nominee I do not believe that we will be starting from scratch
28:53I believe that we will be approaching this with a full head of steam
28:57how do I know that?
28:58because we have had a runway that we have been using to get ready for this
29:02in effect you know the old proverb says may you live in interesting times
29:06we live in interesting times
29:07so the benefit of that is that when the events of the past three or four years
29:12or was it three or four days it feels like much longer unfolded
29:17the opera when the opportunity to continue in public service came up
29:22and so many of the folks here in this room urge me to consider it
29:25it was an easy choice because we had this infrastructure in place already
29:30and Isha when I think about what the successful challenger
29:34the person who will eventually beat Susan Collins needs to have
29:38it's three things
29:40it's infrastructure
29:40it's support
29:42and a depth of policy knowledge
29:43and my campaign has all three
29:50we're going to go
29:50we're going to grab both of you guys
29:52yes go for it
29:53at the top of the speech
29:54by the way it's been a while
29:55it's been a while man
29:57yeah
29:57yeah
29:58we need to have another pun war on twitter
30:00yeah
30:02only on twitter though
30:03yes
30:03yes
30:04I've got nothing right now
30:05you can be punny when you need to
30:13at the top of the speech
30:15you said that
30:16Graham Plattner's support has a place in your campaign
30:18this is where they should go
30:21how do you attract that support away from
30:23from Troy Jackson who's been campaigning for months
30:26it's a great question
30:27I think there are
30:28and I certainly don't want to speak
30:31for all of Graham Plattner's supporters
30:33but you heard from Liv and Aaron just now
30:35and when we talk to many of Graham's supporters
30:38and we look at our own performance in the gubernatorial
30:41we see two things
30:42number one is a high degree of crossover
30:45a lot of Shaw Plattner voters
30:47and when we talk to those folks
30:49what we find
30:49is that they are looking for a candidate
30:51who has strong progressive values
30:54and progressive bona fides
30:55and also someone who is an outsider
30:58someone who is ready to take on the powers that be
31:01and upset the system that has become rigged for so many
31:04and against so many people
31:05I share both of those things
31:07in a way that many of my colleagues
31:09who are running right now do not have
31:10with respect to being an outsider status
31:12and so that's how I'm going to go about doing it
31:14and now to the earlier question
31:16the other way I'm going to do it
31:17is by showing up
31:18the only way to earn votes
31:20is to show up and talk to folks
31:21that's what I did before in the gubernatorial primary
31:24it is in part why as you know
31:26I secure I secured the highest number
31:28of first-choice votes in the primary
31:30that's what I'm going to do again
31:35yeah
31:36picking up sort of there
31:38and your answer to Isha about infrastructure
31:40yes
31:41for something like this
31:42you mentioned your campaign had 850 volunteers
31:46Grand Lander has said his campaign had 15,000
31:49do you feel that it is going to be important
31:52to tap into that volunteer infrastructure
31:56in order to beat Susan Collins
31:57without a doubt
31:58how are you going to do that?
32:00yes
32:00without a doubt
32:02this campaign as an outsider
32:04just to build on my prior answer
32:06a core ethos of this campaign
32:08and my prior campaign
32:09was built on being an outsider
32:11not being beholden to the powers that be
32:14and not having been at the helm
32:16while many of the challenges
32:18that we have been facing
32:19have been allowed to fester
32:20as many of you have heard me say before
32:22on the record
32:23I am nobody that nobody sent
32:26and what that means
32:27is that when I take on a problem
32:28I can make
32:29I can call it like I see it
32:31and follow the data
32:32now
32:32how do we actually turn that passion
32:34into policy change?
32:36it starts with grassroot support
32:37and those volunteers
32:38so we've got 800
32:40we've got more coming over from the
32:41Platner campaign
32:42because they too are looking for a political home
32:45where they can translate that energy
32:47into the next race
32:48and so we invite them
32:50we welcome them
32:51that is why I was at the top of my speech
32:52if we get all 15,000
32:54then we're going to be cooking with gas
32:56so
32:57yeah
33:01yes
33:01two quick questions
33:03one is
33:04have you spoken with the other declared candidates
33:05in this race personally?
33:08sorry
33:09Diaco comes first
33:11the
33:12earlier in this week
33:13I spoke with another individual
33:15who has since declared
33:16with Jordan Wood
33:17that was on Monday
33:18he and I were both evaluating things
33:20at that time
33:20subsequent to declaring this morning
33:23I have not spoken with any of the other candidates
33:25and the other question I had
33:27is
33:27if you could just talk a little about
33:28what the focus
33:29the difference in focus will be
33:30between your previous campaign and this one
33:32obviously Susan Collins
33:33but any policy issues
33:34that you want to play up more now?
33:36excellent
33:36good
33:37two things there
33:39the first is
33:40and on my gubernatorial campaign website
33:42my policy positions and documents are still there
33:45and so the task ahead
33:47and of course those were angled and focused on state executive policy
33:51how to implement universal health care in Maine
33:54how to clean up our environment
33:55how to maintain the systems and the parks
33:58and the recreational aspects of Maine
34:00that we all come to love
34:01those are still on the website
34:02the task ahead
34:03is both to figure out how to keep that focus on Maine
34:06but then zoom it out to the national level
34:08so not just talking about universal health care in Maine
34:11but talking about Medicare for all
34:13not talking about tinkering with the corporate tax structures in Maine
34:17from the state tax code
34:18but now making changes to the federal tax code
34:21so a key aspect of it will be taking those progressive approaches
34:24and zooming them out to the national piece
34:26but the other policy background
34:28the other policy aspect here that is critical
34:30and an area that differentiates me
34:33from my colleagues in the race right now
34:35is with respect to international relations and foreign affairs
34:39a key piece of what a U.S. Senator does
34:42is help set the course of foreign affairs
34:44and international relations to the United States
34:46and in my career that is a background that I come to this table with
34:50I cut my chops in foreign affairs
34:5224 years ago
34:55living and working in Cambodia
34:57working as an economist
34:59understanding how these things work
35:00when I was at the U.S. CDC as the principal deputy director
35:03a large part of my portfolio
35:05was our international and health diplomacy portfolio
35:08I worked in fact with the U.S. Senate
35:10on negotiating and helping understand treaties
35:13like the pandemic treaty
35:14so I will also be talking much more about international and foreign affairs matters
35:19indeed I held the highest security clearance in the United States government
35:23while I was at the U.S. CDC
35:24and was intimately involved in a lot of national security issues
35:28as they related to health care and public health
35:30so those are issues that I'm going to be talking about
35:33and I should note that's a big differentiator
35:35relative to my other colleagues in the race right now
35:43let's go over here
35:45anyone else over here
35:46Phil
35:47I mean we cannot go a press conference
35:49without my good friend Phil Hirschkorn
35:52we should all commend Phil for being on time today
36:00Phil you can give as good as you get
36:01and I know that
36:02I really thought you were going to kick that addiction
36:04I'm just kidding
36:07Maybe you're getting a product placement for me
36:09Yeah, yeah, yeah
36:13Supporters here, supporters around the state
36:15you literally plan to have them run
36:17or try to run for these
36:18we were told 500 open delegate slots
36:21I mean this isn't just you to appeal to the delegates
36:23you can get your people in as delegates
36:25as we understand the process
36:27Yes
36:27What about that strategy?
36:28Oh, absolutely
36:30let's go
36:30I mean let's
36:31those are the rules of the road
36:33and absolutely
36:34and there is nothing untoward about that
36:36this is a process that is open for everybody
36:38any other candidate is able to do the same thing
36:40that's where our volunteer base is going to be critical
36:43absolutely
36:44now we're going to be examining what the county level rules are
36:47and we want to make sure that we don't have a procedural advantage
36:51what we want to have is an advantage because of the support that we have
36:55if we end up with a higher number of delegates who are Shaw supporters
36:58that should only be because there are more Shaw supporters in Maine
37:01not because we've gained the rules
37:09I've asked you this question before
37:10you beat a couple lifelong Mainers
37:12in their back
37:15Susan Collins is a lifelong Mainer
37:18and let's talk about that
37:19and if you're the nominee
37:20that contrast
37:21you've been here five years
37:22you've been here 73
37:23again
37:24how do you plan to handle that
37:26if it comes up?
37:27Well
37:28you're absolutely right Phil
37:29and that will be a dynamic in this race
37:31let's be candid
37:31and it's true
37:32I was not born in Maine
37:34but I got here as fast as I could
37:39but I think when Senator Collins and others
37:44use that line of attack
37:47what they're really sort of saying is
37:50yeah but how do we know that you really have our best interest at heart?
37:55How do we know that you can trust you?
37:57How do we know that if there's a crisis you'll show up for us?
38:01How do we know that if it's a world level crisis you will show up on TV a couple of
38:06hundred times every day
38:08maybe at two o'clock in the afternoon
38:10every single day
38:12how do we know that you will have our best interest at heart?
38:15and I think if you ask any Mainer
38:17about whether they think I have their best interests at heart
38:20the answer is an unequivocal yes
38:22the other point I would observe as well Phil
38:32is that we have tried the playbook
38:35of running long-standing lifelong Mainers
38:39against Susan Collins in five elections
38:41and she has beaten every single career politician
38:45who has come before her
38:46Tom Allen
38:47you know I mean
38:48Secretary Bellows
38:50the list goes on and on and on
38:52and she has defeated every single career politician
38:56who has taken her on
38:58as we all know the definition of insanity
39:00doing the same thing over and over again
39:03it's time for somebody who comes from outside of the establishment lane
39:06to take on Senator Collins
39:08Graham had that approach
39:09and that's the same approach I'm going to be taking
39:12Thanks Phil
39:13I think we got one last
39:15one more
39:18C-SPAN
39:18Oh C-SPAN
39:19and then I will give you
39:21if you got one more
39:21yes our friends from C-SPAN
39:23love C-SPAN
39:25Shannon Bellows and Troy Jackson
39:26have both served in the Maine Senate
39:28Troy Jackson was president of the Maine Senate
39:29you will be coming to this with less legislative experience
39:32than those two candidates
39:33what would you tell Mainers
39:34who were curious about your ability to draft policy
39:37and work on the state's body
39:38Excellent question
39:38Excellent question
39:40one of the key portfolios and tasks that I had in my three previous jobs
39:45director of the health department in Illinois
39:47director of the health department here in Maine
39:49and then deputy director of the US CDC
39:51was working extensively with the legislative bodies in each of those three
39:56to secure our budget
39:57to make sure that the regulations and authorizing legislation we needed was in place
40:02and to negotiate about things like the pandemic treaty and brief them on emerging situations
40:07I have had extensive experience working with both state legislatures
40:12but more critically and different from Secretary Bellows and Senator Jackson
40:16I have had direct experience working with the very body that I am aspiring to serve in
40:22the US Senate
40:23I have worked with innumerable senators
40:25briefed them
40:25appeared before committees
40:27and understand the inner workings of the Senate
40:29so I bring that experience with me
40:31that experience knowing how to navigate Washington DC politics for the betterment of Mainers
40:37but there's a more important piece here as well
40:39all too often
40:42legislators
40:43don't have an appreciation
40:44for how the legislation they pass
40:48actually gets implemented on the ground
40:50I cannot tell you the number of times
40:52I have met with a state or federal legislator
40:55in describing a problem
40:56and that legislator said to me
40:58hey wait a minute
40:59I thought we passed a bill a couple years ago to fix that
41:01and I look at them and say
41:03no you didn't
41:05because you didn't understand how the language that you put on a page
41:09would actually translate into policy and action
41:12it's a little bit like trying to drive a car
41:14where the steering wheel is disconnected from the wheels
41:18you're turning the wheel but nothing's actually changing
41:21and so what I bring to the table is a deep knowledge of how laws get implemented and actually go
41:27right
41:28or more importantly go wrong in practice
41:30and what that means is that when I'm writing bills and crafting legislation
41:34I will know to avoid those pitfalls
41:36so we get it right the first time
41:38rather than having to come back to the drafting table
41:45we're gonna wrap up here
41:47last question
41:47yep
41:48thank you sir
41:49you talk a lot about activating grant planners
41:51sort of basic support and volunteers
41:52would you accept an endorsement from him
41:57I would not accept an endorsement from Graham
41:59nor have I sought one
42:00I have not had a chance to connect with Governor Mills
42:02I hope to be able to do so very very soon
42:05it's I who have not reached out to her
42:06but again I hope to be able to do so very soon
42:09thank you all so much for coming
42:12thanks to my team here
42:14thanks to our team
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