Nirav Shah, the runner-up in the Democratic primary for Maine governor, has had preliminary discussions with campaign donors and said Wednesday he is feeling confident about his potential should he decide to get in Maine’s U.S. Senate race.

“I am optimistic and enthusiastic about my ability to fundraise again and be able to unseat Sen. (Susan) Collins here,” Shah said in an interview.

Shah, 49, is the former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. His name is among several being floated as a potential replacement candidate for Graham Platner, who announced Wednesday evening that he will drop out of the race after days of speculation.

Platner faced a litany of calls this week to suspend his campaign after a former romantic partner said Monday that he sexually assaulted her in 2021. Platner has denied the allegations.

Now, the Democratic Party will have a chance to name a replacement before the end of the month. Party officials are planning an in-person convention of about 600 people to select a new nominee, according to a person familiar with the planning who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to disclose details of the ongoing discussions.

Shah said prior to Platner’s announcement Wednesday that he hadn’t made a definite decision yet about whether he would get in the race and was continuing to talk it over with his family.

But he believes he is well-positioned after having won the most first-round votes in the Democratic primary for governor. Shah led the race on election night with close to 27% of the vote in a five-way race, though he ultimately lost the ranked-choice runoff to Hannah Pingree.

Shah said there is “not very much light” between him and Platner on policy.

“We both share the same progressive ideals of Medicare for All, halting arms sales to Israel, holding corporations accountable for destroying our environment and taxing the billionaire class to make sure that those who can pay more are paying more,” Shah said.

However, Shah was not among the the top three choices on Platner’s ranked-choice ballot for governor. Former Senate President Troy Jackson was Platner’s top pick.

Much of the infrastructure that was set up for his gubernatorial run could be transitioned to the Senate race should he decide to get in, including communications, field organizing and finance operations, Shah said.

While he did not name any specific donors he has had discussions with, Shah said he has received preliminary pledges of financial support.

“The initial, very preliminary fundraising calls that I’ve had have been met with a high degree of enthusiasm and pledges to support my efforts if I were to get in,” he said.

The race featuring Collins, a five-term incumbent Republican, is expected to draw as much as nearly $500 million in spending — more than double the existing Maine record of the $200 million that was spent on the 2020 race between Collins and Democrat Sara Gideon.

Jackson, who finished third in the Democratic primary for governor, is also exploring a Senate run and sent out a fundraising email Wednesday.

“This U.S. Senate race, like the governor’s race, has never been about one single person or one single policy,” Jackson wrote in the email.  

“It’s about the fact that our systems have been rigged for the ultra-wealthy oligarchs for far too long. Working-class folks have been left behind, shut down, and shut out — not just by the extreme MAGA GOP, but by our own party’s elite, too.”