Goodspaceguy

Last updated
Goodspaceguy
Goodspaceguy, 2021.png
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"

Michael George Goodspaceguy Nelson (born Michael George Nelson), known mononymously as Goodspaceguy, is an American perennial candidate from Washington state. [1]

Contents

Early life and education

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

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]

By 2011, Goodspaceguy had sought public office 25 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, regardless of whether it actually exists). [8]

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]

He again ran unsuccessfully in the 2018 United States Senate election in Washington, and 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] He ran in the 2024 United States Senate election as a Republican. [24]

Political positions

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." [25] Goodspaceguy opposes the Washington state minimum wage as it "destroys jobs". [12] [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Washington gubernatorial election</span>

The 2004 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2004. The race gained national attention for its legal twists and extremely close finish, among the closest political races in United States election history. Republican Dino Rossi was declared the winner in the initial automated count and again in a subsequent automated recount, but after a second recount done by hand, Democrat Christine Gregoire took the lead by a margin of 129 votes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Reichert</span> American politician (born 1950)

David George Reichert is an American retired police officer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Washington's 8th congressional district from 2005 to 2019. A moderate member of the Republican Party, he served as the sheriff of King County, Washington, from 1997 to 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 United States Senate election in Washington</span>

The 2006 United States Senate election in Washington was held November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democrat Maria Cantwell won reelection to a second term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Washington gubernatorial election</span>

The 2008 gubernatorial election in Washington was held on November 4, 2008. Republican Dino Rossi and incumbent Democratic Governor Christine Gregoire emerged from the August 19 primary. This made the 2008 election a rematch between the candidates from the 2004 election, the closest gubernatorial election in the state's history. In contrast to the recounts and months of legal challenges in their previous contest, Gregoire was the clear winner on November 5 with about 53% of the vote. With a margin of 6.48%, this election was the second-closest race of the 2008 gubernatorial election cycle, behind only the election in North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 United States Senate election in Washington</span>

The 1994 United States Senate election in Washington was held November 8, 1994. Incumbent Senator Slade Gorton won re-election to a second consecutive term. As of 2024, this was the last time a Republican or a man won a U.S. Senate election in Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Washington gubernatorial election</span>

The 2012 Washington gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2012. Candidates in the election were chosen in an August 7, 2012 primary election, under the state's nonpartisan blanket primary system, which allows voters to vote for any candidate running in the race, regardless of party affiliation. The two candidates who received the most votes in the primary election qualified for the general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Washington gubernatorial election</span>

The 2016 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington</span>

The 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington were held on November 8, 2016, to elect the 10 U.S. representatives from the state of Washington, one from each of the state's 10 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate, and various state and local elections. The primaries were held on August 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Seattle mayoral election</span>

The 2017 Seattle mayoral election was held on November 7, 2017. It was won by former U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan, who beat civic activist Cary Moon in the general election by 15 percentage points. The two candidates had advanced from an earlier primary election held in August, which ensured that Seattle would have its first female mayor since Bertha Knight Landes was elected in 1926. Municipal elections are officially nonpartisan though most candidates have declared party affiliations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 United States Senate election in Washington</span>

The 2018 United States Senate election in Washington took place on November 6, 2018, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Washington. Incumbent Democrat Maria Cantwell won election to a fourth term over television news journalist Susan Hutchison, a Republican.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Washington gubernatorial election</span>

The 2020 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 2020. It followed a top-two primary held on August 4. Incumbent Governor Jay Inslee, the Democratic candidate, defeated Loren Culp, the Republican candidate by a wide margin. Inslee, who was eligible to run for a third term due to the lack of gubernatorial term limits, initially launched a campaign for president of the United States in the 2020 election. When he dropped out of that race in August 2019 due to extremely low polling numbers, he announced he would seek a third term as governor. Several other Democratic political figures considered entering the race if Inslee did not run, including Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson; no other major Democratic candidates entered the race. Republican Loren Culp, the police chief of Republic, Washington, placed second in the top-two primary and advanced to the general election alongside Inslee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington</span>

The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington were held on November 3, 2020, to elect the 10 U.S. representatives from the state of Washington, one from each of the state's 10 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.

Joseph-Thanh Nguyen is an American politician who is a member of the Washington State Senate from the 34th district. Nguyen, a second-generation Vietnamese American, was raised with his three siblings in White Center, Washington, by his mother. He was a candidate for King County Executive in 2021 but was defeated by Dow Constantine 56 percent to 44 percent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 United States presidential election in Washington (state)</span>

The 2020 United States presidential election in Washington was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, as part of the 2020 United States presidential election in which all 50 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia participated. Washington voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote, pitting the Republican Party's nominee, incumbent President Donald Trump, and running mate Vice President Mike Pence against Democratic Party nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, and his running mate California Senator Kamala Harris. Washington has 12 electoral votes in the Electoral College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 United States Senate election in Washington</span>

The 2024 United States Senate election in Washington was held on November 5, 2024, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Washington. Democratic incumbent Senator Maria Cantwell was elected to her fifth term, winning over Republican physician Raul Garcia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States Senate election in Washington</span>

The 2022 United States Senate election in Washington was held on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Washington. Murray had won re-election to a fifth term in 2016 with 59% of the vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Washington lieutenant gubernatorial election</span>

The 2020 Washington lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the lieutenant governor of Washington concurrently with the 2020 Washington elections. The top-two primary was held on August 4, and Democrats Denny Heck and Marko Liias advanced to the general election, which Heck won.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington</span>

The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Washington were held on November 8, 2022, to elect the 10 U.S. representatives from the state of Washington, one from each of the state's 10 congressional districts. The elections coincided with other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. Going into this election, the Democratic Party represented seven seats, while the Republican Party represented three seats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Washington gubernatorial election</span>

The 2024 Washington gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2024. The top-two primary was held on August 6. Incumbent Democratic Governor Jay Inslee was eligible to seek re-election to a fourth term but decided that he would not do so. The Democratic nominee, state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, defeated the Republican nominee, former Congressman Dave Reichert, who conceded defeat on November 19. Ferguson defeated Reichert with 55.51% of the vote in the general election. He also became the first Democrat to win Clallam County since 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Washington Secretary of State special election</span>

The 2022 Washington Secretary of State special election was held on November 8, 2022. Incumbent Kim Wyman, a Republican, resigned from the office on November 19, 2021, to become the senior election security lead for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in the Biden administration's Department of Homeland Security. Washington governor Jay Inslee, a Democrat, announced he would appoint state senator Steve Hobbs as her replacement, the first Democrat to hold the office in more than fifty years.

References

  1. Berman, Steve (May 21, 2012). "New Federal Whistleblower Law Enhances National Security, Reduces Wasteful Spending". Seattle Post-Intelligencer . Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Atkins, Drew (October 29, 2015). "Goodspaceguy: The definitive interview with King County's perennial candidate". Crosscut.com . Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  3. 1 2 Ervin, Keith (August 12, 2007). "Goodspaceguy Nelson challenges Constantine in race for District 8". Seattle Times . Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  4. Holden, Dominic (June 20, 2013). "Ask Goodspaceguy! (Updated!)". The Stranger . Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Garnick, Coral (August 14, 2015). "Perennial candidate Goodspaceguy advances to November in Port race". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  6. "Election Center: Goodspaceguy". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  7. Holden, Dominic (July 8, 2011). "Goodspaceguy on the End of the Shuttle Program". The Stranger . Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  8. "Top two primary FAQ". official website. Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  9. Camden, Jim (March 13, 2014). "4th Congressional District filling up". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  10. Wendland, Matt (August 21, 2012). "Goodspaceguy Calls for Burien City Council to End "Job Killing Minimum Wage"". Burien Daily. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  11. Results Detail: Port of Seattle Commissioner Position No. 2 KingCounty.gov elections results
  12. 1 2 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.
  13. "Election Results - General and Special Election: November 3, 2015" (PDF). King County Elections. November 6, 2015. p. 8. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  14. Brownstone, Sydney (November 4, 2015). "Really? 31,000 Votes for Goodspaceguy?". The Stranger. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  15. Connelly, Joel (October 14, 2015). "34th District Republicans endorse Goodspaceguy for Seattle Port Commission". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  16. Mikkelson, Drew (May 19, 2016). "Bryant won't disclose choice for president". KING 5 News. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  17. "August 2, 2016 Primary Results: Governor". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  18. Brunner, Jim (May 19, 2017). "Open Seattle mayor's race draws a long list of candidates". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  19. Kunkler, Aaron (May 24, 2021). "Candidate roundup: Who's running this November?". Snoqualmie Valley Record . Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  20. "August 7, 2018 Primary Results - U.S. Senator". Secretary of State of Washington. August 21, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  21. "Election Results" (PDF). King County. August 19, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  22. "Who has filed - King County". King County. May 15, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  23. "August 4, 2020 Primary Results - Governor". Washington Secretary of State. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  24. "Primary 2024 Candidate list". voter.votewa.gov. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  25. Voter's Pamphlet August 19, 2008 Primary. Olympia, Washington: Washington Secretary of State. 2008. p. 10. Retrieved July 26, 2016.