Mike The Mover

Mike the Mover's RV

Mike The Mover (born Michael Patrick Shanks; born March 17, 1953) is an American perennial candidate and business owner from Washington state.[1] Shanks legally changed his name to Mike the Mover in 1990 to help promote his furniture moving business.

According to Mover, he has run for public office more than 17 times, but has never been elected.[2] Though originally motivated to run for office in order to draw attention to Washington's complex regulations for movers, Mover's more recent campaigns have been a marketing tactic to promote his business. In 2004 he estimated $150,000 of his company's annual revenue came from name familiarity generated by his ballot appearances.[3] Never endorsed by a political party, he has sought office as both a Democrat and a Republican. In the 2014 election for U.S. Congress from Washington's 1st congressional district, Mover - a Civil War enthusiast[4] - ran as a candidate of the "National Union Party" (under Washington elections law, candidates can declare themselves a member of any party, whether the party exists or not).[5]

Mover, who resides in Snohomish County, has twice been criminally convicted of operating an illegal moving business, and is the subject of a restraining order from the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission stemming from his mailing of "nearly nude" photos of himself to the commission's office.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Raley, Dan (14 September 2004). "Where Are They Now: Mike The Mover". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  2. ↑ "About Mike". http://theoriginalmikethemover.com''. The Original Mike the Mover. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Heffter, Emily (6 September 2004). "If there's a ballot, there's "Mover"". Seattle Times. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  4. ↑ "CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT NO. 1 REPRESENTATIVE". The Stranger. 12 September 2002. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  5. ↑ "2014 Unofficial Candidate Filing". kingcounty.gov. King County Elections Office. Retrieved 13 May 2014.