{"id":2629814,"date":"2026-07-14T20:38:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T00:38:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/durbin-joins-duckworth-in-opposing-maines-shah-over-disease-outbreak\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T20:41:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T00:41:28","slug":"durbin-joins-duckworth-in-opposing-maines-shah-over-disease-outbreak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/durbin-joins-duckworth-in-opposing-maines-shah-over-disease-outbreak\/","title":{"rendered":"Durbin joins Duckworth in opposing Maine&#8217;s Shah over disease outbreak"},"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\">20<\/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%2Fdurbin-joins-duckworth-in-opposing-maines-shah-over-disease-outbreak%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=2629814&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 Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) oppose Nirav Shah&#8217;s potential Senate candidacy in Maine, citing his role in a 2015 Legionnaires\u2019 disease outbreak at an Illinois veterans\u2019 home that resulted in 14 deaths. Duckworth criticized Shah for prioritizing his public image over veterans\u2019 safety and called for his resignation at the time. Shah, who led Illinois\u2019 Department of Public Health during the outbreak, failed to address issues promptly, which was later criticized during his gubernatorial campaign in Maine. After leaving Illinois, Shah led Maine&#8217;s CDC and later served as deputy director of the CDC during the Biden administration.Both lawmakers and critics argue his past actions disqualify him from representing Maine in the Senate.  <\/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\/dick-durbin\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1010\">Dick Durbin<\/a> (D-IL) has joined his Illinois colleague Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tammy-duckworth\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2523\">Tammy Duckworth<\/a>\u2018s (D-IL) opposition to Nirav Shah seeking the Senate candidacy in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/maine\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"193\">Maine<\/a>, with both lawmakers citing the hopeful\u2019s role in a deadly 2015 Legionnaires\u2019 disease outbreak that occurred while he was at the helm of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/illinois\/\">Illinois<\/a> Department of Public Health.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Duckworth voiced opposition to Shah possibly replacing former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner shortly after he announced his candidacy. The congresswoman had called for Shah\u2019s removal from IDPH in 2018 when investigations revealed former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Shah failed to act when they were informed of the outbreak.<\/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\/4648442\/scott-bessent-no-chance-run-for-lindsey-graham-seat\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Scott Bessent says there is \u2018no chance\u2019 he will run for Lindsey Graham\u2019s Senate seat<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4648131\/maine-democrat-candidates-senate-debate-what-to-know\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Maine Democrats to debate on Thursday: What to know<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4648094\/lindsey-graham-william-timmons-senate-vacancy\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Graham ally questions Republicans eyeing replacement bid: \u2018Taking ridiculous positions\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe made a mess of things involving a veterans\u2019 home in Quincy, Illinois,\u201d Durbin said. \u201cFourteen veterans lost their lives. \u2026 To think he\u2019s now aspiring to be the United States senator from Maine, it\u2019s hard to imagine.\u201d<\/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\">Shah led IDPH from 2015 until 2019, during which time an outbreak of Legionnaires\u2019 disease, a severe form of pneumonia, broke out in a veterans\u2019 home. An investigation following the outbreak that took the lives of more than a dozen veterans found Shah failed to address issues at the home that allowed bacteria to spread.<\/p>\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\">posted<\/a> on X. \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\">The issue also came up for Shah during his gubernatorial campaign earlier this year, as his competitors \u2014 former Maine Attorney General James Tierney and Illinois Democratic state Sen. Cristina Castro \u2014 held a virtual news conference criticizing his handling of the 2015 outbreak.<\/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\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4643540\/tammy-duckworth-calls-maine-senate-candidate-nirav-shah-drop-platner-replacement-bid\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4643540\/tammy-duckworth-calls-maine-senate-candidate-nirav-shah-drop-platner-replacement-bid\/\">DUCKWORTH CALLS FOR MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE TO DROP PLATNER REPLACEMENT BID OVER 2015 ACTIONS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shah has acknowledged he did not effectively communicate the problems at the home to the public.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After leaving his post in Illinois,\u00a0Shah went on to direct the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention until 2023, during which he became a prominent public face 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\/\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> during the<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/biden-administration\/\"> 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<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Durbin opposes Shah\u2019s Maine Senate bid over 2015 outbreak<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4130,"featured_media":2629815,"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\/AP26195540830903.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[43254,28783,51152,9148,82730],"class_list":["post-2629814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-disease-outbreak","tag-duckworth","tag-durbin-2","tag-maine","tag-shah"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26195540830903.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2629814","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\/4130"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2629814"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2629814\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2629818,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2629814\/revisions\/2629818"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2629815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2629814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2629814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2629814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}