Goodspaceguy

Goodspaceguy (born Michael George Nelson; November 18, 1938) is an American perennial candidate from Washington state.

Goodspaceguy received a B.A. from the University of Maryland and a M.S. from the University of Minnesota. Originally named Michael Nelson, he legally added "Goodspaceguy" to his name in 2006, becoming "Michael Goodspaceguy Nelson" and, subsequently, changed his name to the single word "Goodspaceguy."

Goodspaceguy has sought public office more than a dozen times, including those of United States Senator and Governor of Washington. Though never endorsed by a party, he has contested elections as a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian and as a candidate of the non-existent "Employmentwealth Party" (under Washington elections law, candidates can declare themselves a member of any party, 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." 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.

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 by introducing himself "Hello, my name is Goodspaceguy, I am from Phoebe, one of Saturn's many moons," in a language other than English. His use of languages other than English to introduce himself, he's explained, is in protest against the city's use of Spanish in some printed materials. 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. He ultimately lost the general election to incumbent Courtney Gregoire, but garnered 48,000 votes (13% of the vote) in the process; 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. Goodspaceguy has filed his intent to run as a Republican in the 2016 gubernatorial election in Washington.

Goodspaceguy has called for space colonization and population control through a birth fee. He describes himself as "pro-choice on almost everything."