Goodspaceguy
Michael George Goodspaceguy Nelson (born Michael George Nelson), known mononymously as Goodspaceguy, is an American perennial candidate from Washington state.[1]
Goodspaceguy | |
|---|---|
Goodspaceguy in 2021 | |
| Born | Michael George Nelson |
| Education | University of Maryland (BA) University of Minnesota (MS) |
| Political party | Democratic Republican Libertarian "Trump Republican" "Employmentwealth Party" "Work and Wealth Party" |
Early life and education edit
Born Michael George Nelson in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Goodspaceguy received a B.A. from the University of Maryland and a M.S. from the University of Minnesota.[2] He legally added "Goodspaceguy" to his name in 2006, becoming Michael George Goodspaceguy Nelson.[3][4]
Career edit
Outside of politics, Goodspaceguy describes himself as "an amateur economist and astronomer."[5] In his 2010 campaign profile, he lists his previous occupations as "accountant, chemical plant operator, economist, [and] investor".[6]
Goodspaceguy has sought public office twenty one times,[7] including those of United States Senator and Governor of Washington. Though never endorsed by a party, he has contested elections as a Democrat, Republican, Trump Republican, Libertarian and as a candidate of the non-existent "Employmentwealth Party" (under Washington elections law, candidates can declare their preference for any party,[8] whether the party exists or not). In the 2014 race for Washington's 7th congressional district, Goodspaceguy identified himself with the "Work and Wealth Party."[9] His best electoral showing was in the 2003 race for King County Council district 8, in which he polled 16 percent of the vote against Dow Constantine.[3]
In addition to his frequent campaigns for local, state, and federal office, Goodspaceguy is a regular attendee of meetings of the Burien, Washington city council, during which he frequently participates in public comment sessions.[2][10] Goodspaceguy ran for the Port of Seattle Commission in the August 4, 2015 primary, and preliminary results showed Goodspaceguy finishing second in a field of three candidates, with about 24,000 votes, or just over 9% of the total votes cast.[11][12] He ultimately lost the general election to incumbent Courtney Gregoire, but garnered 48,000 votes (13% of the vote) in the process;[13][14] Goodspaceguy was also endorsed by the 34th District Republicans prior to the general election, one of only two given by the group for the election alongside a Tim Eyman initiative.[15] Goodspaceguy ran in the 2016 gubernatorial election in Washington,[16] winning 13,191 votes in the primary but not advancing.[17] Goodspaceguy was running for King County Executive in the 2017 election,[18] and filed again in 2021 to run for the same office.[19] Goodspaceguy also ran unsuccessfully in the 2018 United States Senate election in Washington and again for King County Council in 2019.[20] His 2019 run garnered 4.52% of the vote, in comparison to the 16% he managed in his 2003 run for the same office.[21] He was a candidate for the 2020 gubernatorial election, stating his party preference as "Trump Republican",[22] winning 5,646 votes in the primary.[23]
Political positions edit
Goodspaceguy's political positions generally revolve around his support for space exploration and space colonization.[2] Goodspaceguy also calls for population control through a birth fee. He describes himself as "pro-choice on almost everything."[24] Goodspaceguy opposes the Washington state minimum wage as it "destroys jobs".[12][5]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Berman, Steve (May 21, 2012). "New Federal Whistleblower Law Enhances National Security, Reduces Wasteful Spending". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
- ^ a b c Atkins, Drew (October 29, 2015). "Goodspaceguy: The definitive interview with King County's perennial candidate". Crosscut.com. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
- ^ a b Ervin, Keith (August 12, 2007). "Goodspaceguy Nelson challenges Constantine in race for District 8". Seattle Times. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
- ^ Holden, Dominic (June 20, 2013). "Ask Goodspaceguy! (Updated!)". The Stranger. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
- ^ a b Garnick, Coral (August 14, 2015). "Perennial candidate Goodspaceguy advances to November in Port race". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ "Election Center: Goodspaceguy". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
- ^ Holden, Dominic (July 8, 2011). "Goodspaceguy on the End of the Shuttle Program". The Stranger. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
- ^ "Top two primary FAQ". official website. Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
- ^ Camden, Jim (March 13, 2014). "4th Congressional District filling up". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
- ^ Wendland, Matt (August 21, 2012). . Burien Daily. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
- ^ Results Detail: Port of Seattle Commissioner Position No. 2 KingCounty.gov elections results
- ^ a b Brownstone, Sydney (August 7, 2015). "Um, Can We Talk About How More Than 23,000 of You Voted for Goodspaceguy?". The Stranger. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
- ^ "Election Results - General and Special Election: November 3, 2015" (PDF). King County Elections. November 6, 2015. p. 8. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ Brownstone, Sydney (November 4, 2015). "Really? 31,000 Votes for Goodspaceguy?". The Stranger. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ Connelly, Joel (October 14, 2015). "34th District Republicans endorse Goodspaceguy for Seattle Port Commission". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ Mikkelson, Drew (May 19, 2016). "Bryant won't disclose choice for president". KING 5 News. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
- ^ "August 2, 2016 Primary Results: Governor". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ Brunner, Jim (May 19, 2017). "Open Seattle mayor's race draws a long list of candidates". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ Kunkler, Aaron (May 24, 2021). "Candidate roundup: Who's running this November?". Snoqualmie Valley Record. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- ^ "August 7, 2018 Primary Results - U.S. Senator". Secretary of State of Washington. August 21, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ "Election Results" (PDF). King County. August 19, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
- ^ "Who has filed - King County". King County. May 15, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
- ^ "August 4, 2020 Primary Results - Governor". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
- ^ Voter's Pamphlet August 19, 2008 Primary. Olympia, Washington: Washington Secretary of State. 2008. p. 10. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
External links edit
- 2009 Interview with Goodspaceguy originally aired on KCTS-TV
- Our Spaceship Earth—the blog of Goodspaceguy