| Birth name | Michael Patrick Shanks |
|---|---|
| Birth date | March 17, 1953 (age 73) |
| Birth place | United States |
| Other names | Mike the Mover (formerly) |
| Political party | Independent |
| Other party | Democratic Republican National Union Party Moderate GOP Party[1] |
| Occupation | Businessman |
Uncle Mover (born Michael Patrick Shanks, March 17, 1953), formerly known as Mike The Mover, is an American perennial candidate and business owner from Washington State.[2] In 1990, Shanks legally changed his name to Mike the Mover to help promote his furniture moving business.[3]
Politics
According to Mover, he has run for public office more than 17 times but has never been elected.[4]
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 $150,000 (~$ in ) of his company's annual revenue came from the 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,[5] 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).[6] Changing his name again to Uncle Mover, Mover filed to run for U.S. Senate in 2016.[7]
Personal life
Uncle Mover grew up as one of twelve children born to Richard and Patricia Shanks.[8][3] His father was the former Mayor of Lake City prior to it becoming incorporated into Seattle in the 1950s.[8]
Mover resides in Snohomish County near Lynnwood, Washington.[3]
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.[3]
See also
References
- ^ "Uncle Mover". Ballotpedia. August 7, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ Raley, Dan (14 September 2004). "Where Are They Now: Mike The Mover". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- ^ Heffter, Emily (6 September 2004). "If there's a ballot, there's "Mover"". Seattle Times. Archived 2014-05-15 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- ^ "About Mike". theoriginalmikethemover.com. The Original Mike the Mover. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ "Congressional District No. 1 Representative". The Stranger. 12 September 2002. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- ^ "2014 Unofficial Candidate Filing". kingcounty.gov. King County Elections Office. Archived from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- ^ "2016 Candidates Who Have Filed". Archived 10 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ Strickland, Daryl (1994). "Richard Shanks Devoted Time To Family, Community Service". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 8 June 2019.