Covid Politics Don’t Have to Be Toxic

Dr. Bedard, a contributing Opinion writer, is a geriatrician and a palliative care doctor.

Nirav Shah, who narrowly lost the Maine Democratic primary for governor last week, didn’t run his campaign as a populist, a celebrity or a self-funded business owner. Rather, the first-time candidate is something that would seem anathema in contemporary politics: a public health technocrat who became a household name during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr. Shah has some of the highest favorability numbers of any public figure in Maine, despite having been a state resident for less than a decade. He entered the race months........

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