Uncle Mover

Uncle Mover, formerly known as Mike The Mover (born Michael Patrick Shanks, 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.[2]

Uncle Mover's RV

Politics

According to Mover, he has run for public office more than 17 times but has never been elected.[3]

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.[2] 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] Changing his name again to Uncle Mover, Mover filed to run for U.S. Senate in 2016.[6]

Personal life

Mike the Mover grew up as one of twelve children born to Richard and Patricia Shanks.[7][2] His father was the former Mayor of Lake City prior to it becoming part of Seattle in the 1950s.[7]

Mover resides in Snohomish County near Lynnwood, Washington.[2]

In 1977, Mover started moving professionally. Unable to receive a state permit, he was charged 89 times with gross misdemeanors and was convicted of in two of these cases for operating an illegal moving business.[2]

See also

References
  1. Raley, Dan (14 September 2004). "Where Are They Now: Mike The Mover". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  2. Heffter, Emily (6 September 2004). "If there's a ballot, there's "Mover"". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on 2014-05-15. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  3. "About Mike". theoriginalmikethemover.com. The Original Mike the Mover. 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. Archived from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  6. "2016 Candidates Who Have Filed".
  7. Strickland, Daryl (1994). "Richard Shanks Devoted Time To Family, Community Service". Seattle Times Newspaper. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
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