{"id":2627911,"date":"2026-07-10T09:44:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T13:44:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tammy-duckworth-calls-for-maine-senate-candidate-to-drop-bid-over-2015-actions\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T09:45:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T13:45:37","slug":"tammy-duckworth-calls-for-maine-senate-candidate-to-drop-bid-over-2015-actions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tammy-duckworth-calls-for-maine-senate-candidate-to-drop-bid-over-2015-actions\/","title":{"rendered":"Tammy Duckworth calls for Maine Senate candidate to drop bid over 2015 actions"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftammy-duckworth-calls-for-maine-senate-candidate-to-drop-bid-over-2015-actions%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2627911&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) has urged Maine Senate candidate Nirav Shah to withdraw from the race, blaming him for a fatal legionnaires\u2019 disease outbreak at the Illinois Veterans Home in 2015 during his tenure as Illinois Department of Public Health director, which resulted in at least 13 deaths. duckworth criticized Shah for prioritizing his public image over veterans&#8217; safety and called for his resignation in 2018.She renewed her criticism amid his current campaign for the Maine Senate seat, where he previously led Maine&#8217;s CDC and served as a deputy director at the CDC. Shah has dismissed the allegations as political distraction but acknowledged mistakes in public dialog during the outbreak. Meanwhile, Shah is running to replace Graham Platner, who withdrew from the Maine race amid scandal. The Maine Democratic Party emphasizes clarity as it seeks a replacement candidate.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tammy-duckworth\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2523\">Tammy Duckworth <\/a>(D-IL) is calling on <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/maine\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"193\">Maine<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"8765\">Senate<\/a> candidate Nirav Shah to withdraw from the race, arguing he bears responsibility for a deadly 2015 Legionnaires\u2019 disease outbreak that occurred while he led the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/illinois\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"206\">Illinois<\/a> Department of Public Health.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shah was the agency\u2019s director from 2015 to 2019. During his tenure, an outbreak of Legionnaires\u2019 disease at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy killed at least 13 veterans and sickened dozens more.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4643544\/ro-khanna-downplays-graham-platner-downfall-progressive-movement\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Ro Khanna downplays Platner\u2019s downfall as greater sign about progressive movement: \u2018One-week news story\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4643311\/platner-adviser-assures-maine-candidate-will-file-paperwork-withdraw\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Platner adviser Morris Katz says he\u2019s \u2018disappointed\u2019 and assures Maine candidate will file paperwork to withdraw<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4643203\/republicans-prepare-new-battle-plan-platner-baggage-senate-switch-out\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Senate Republicans prepare new battle plan after Platner switch-out<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Duckworth, who would serve alongside Shah in the Senate if he is elected, renewed her criticism Thursday.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMaine deserves better than someone who put his public image before the safety of our Veterans,\u201d Duckworth <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TammyDuckworth\/status\/2075415424036966824?s=20\">wrote on X<\/a>. \u201cToo many of our heroes lost their lives under Nirav Shah\u2019s watch as Illinois Public Health Director. I called for his resignation then, and I strongly oppose his run for Senate now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2018, Duckworth and Sen.<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/dick-durbin\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1010\"> Dick Durbin<\/a> (D-IL) called for Shah\u2019s resignation following investigations into the outbreak.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cShah detailed the dangers present at the facility, noted that the violations warranted a citation, yet chose not to issue one,\u201d the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.duckworth.senate.gov\/news\/press-releases\/durbin-duckworth-call-on-illinois-public-health-director-nirav-shah-to-resign-over-botched-response-to-legionnaires-outbreaks-at-ivh-quincy\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.duckworth.senate.gov\/news\/press-releases\/durbin-duckworth-call-on-illinois-public-health-director-nirav-shah-to-resign-over-botched-response-to-legionnaires-outbreaks-at-ivh-quincy\">senators said<\/a> in a joint statement. \u201cAdditional reports indicate that Shah and other staff at the Illinois Department of Public Health found Governor Rauner\u2019s office to be an obstacle in ensuring a prompt and comprehensive response to the deadly outbreaks and more focused on public perception.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Duckworth has argued that Shah was more concerned with managing the administration\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wbez.org\/shows\/wbez-news\/state-health-official-quincy-legionnaires-crisis-a-mess-fueled-by-rauners-pr-team\/2f3244bc-95cb-4cc7-9a63-63c8b189670f\">public image<\/a> than responding aggressively to the outbreak.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shah, who finished third in Maine\u2019s Democratic gubernatorial primary this year, recently entered the race to become the Democratic nominee following Graham Platner\u2019s resignation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After leaving Illinois in 2019, Shah was the director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention until 2023, during which he became a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >prominent public face<\/a> of the state\u2019s COVID-19 response, before later serving as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-considering-not-giving-trump-intelligence-briefings\/\" title=\"Biden Considering Not Giving Trump Intelligence Briefings\">principal deputy director<\/a> of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/cdc\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"559\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> during the<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/biden-administration\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"445\"> Biden administration<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During Shah\u2019s gubernatorial campaign earlier this year, former Maine Attorney General James Tierney and Illinois state Sen. Cristina Castro, a Democrat, held a virtual news conference criticizing his handling of the 2015 outbreak.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is not a gotcha, oppo research thing,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.duckworth.senate.gov\/news\/press-releases\/durbin-duckworth-call-on-illinois-public-health-director-nirav-shah-to-resign-over-botched-response-to-legionnaires-outbreaks-at-ivh-quincy\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.duckworth.senate.gov\/news\/press-releases\/durbin-duckworth-call-on-illinois-public-health-director-nirav-shah-to-resign-over-botched-response-to-legionnaires-outbreaks-at-ivh-quincy\">Castro said<\/a>. \u201cThis was a deadly scandal in Illinois, and Maine voters deserve to know about it. Nirav Shah focused, as I said, on his public image first, before those who died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shah has dismissed the criticism as a \u201cdistraction\u201d and \u201cdirty politics,\u201d saying he followed federal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-to-show-lockdowns-are-killing-more-people-than-the-virus\/\" title=\"How To Show Lockdowns Are Killing More People Than The Virus\">public health<\/a> guidance during the outbreak. He has acknowledged, however, that he made mistakes in communicating with the public.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI could have done a better job communicating,\u201d Shah said. \u201cAnd I learned that lesson. That\u2019s why when I got to Maine, you all saw what you saw during the pandemic. No matter what was going on, every single day, I showed up to make sure Mainers knew what was happening. I was tested, I learned a lesson, and I am better for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"text-transform:uppercase\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4641945\/graham-platner-replacements-maine-senate-democrats\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4641945\/graham-platner-replacements-maine-senate-democrats\/\">Who is running to replace Graham Platner?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, the Maine Democratic Party has emphasized its commitment to transparency as it works to replace Platner, who <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4642910\/graham-platner-embodies-democrats-hypocrisy\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4642910\">withdrew from the race <\/a>Tuesday after his campaign became embroiled in scandal.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTo the rest of the country watching from afar, thank you for cheering us on,\u201d a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MaineDems\/status\/2075422733316313580?s=20\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MaineDems\/status\/2075422733316313580?s=20\">party official said<\/a>. \u201cDemocracy, while messy, is always worth fighting for.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Duckworth urges Nirav Shah to withdraw over 2015 Legionnaires\u2019 outbreak<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4195,"featured_media":2627912,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-collage-w8nhhem0j-1783684660546-e1783687687939.jpg?1783673326&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[69833,72492,65283,35736,45003],"class_list":["post-2627911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-2015-controversy","tag-campaign-ethics","tag-maine-senate-race","tag-political-endorsements","tag-tammy-duckworth"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-collage-w8nhhem0j-1783684660546-e1783687687939.jpg?1783673326&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2627911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4195"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2627911"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2627911\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2627915,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2627911\/revisions\/2627915"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2627912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2627911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2627911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2627911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}