Michael Bagdes-Canning

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Michael Bagdes-Canning

Green Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, 1978

Graduate

Clarion University, 2003

Personal

Birthplace

Takoma Park, Md.

Religion

Catholic

Profession

Teacher

Contact

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

Personal LinkedIn

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Michael Bagdes-Canning (Green Party) ran for election for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

In 2020, Bagdes-Canning participated in a Candidate Conversation hosted by Ballotpedia and EnCiv. Click here to view the recording.

Biography

Michael Bagdes-Canning was born in Takoma Park, Maryland. He earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania in 1978 and 1989, respectively. Bagdes-Canning also earned a master’s degree from Clarion University in 2003. His career experience includes working as a teacher at George Junior Republic.

Bagdes-Canning has served as Vice President of the Pennsylvania State Education Association and was a founding member of the Better Path Coalition, which describes itself as “a statewide frontline- and grassroots-led coalition forging a path to a clean, renewable energy future for Pennsylvania.” He has also worked with the Pennsylvania Poor People’s Campaign and Marcellus Outreach Butler, an environmental organization in Butler County, Pennsylvania.

Elections

2022

See also: Pennsylvania gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania

Austin Davis defeated Carrie DelRosso, Timothy McMaster, Michael Bagdes-Canning, and Nicole Shultz in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Austin Davis (D)	56.5	3,031,137
		Carrie DelRosso (R)	41.7	2,238,477
		Timothy McMaster (L)	1.0	51,611
		Michael Bagdes-Canning (G)	0.5	24,436
		Nicole Shultz (Keystone Party of Pennsylvania)	0.4	20,518

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,366,179
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania

Austin Davis defeated Brian Sims and Ray Sosa in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Austin Davis	63.0	768,141
		Brian Sims	25.1	305,959
		Ray Sosa	11.9	145,228

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,219,328
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Carrie DelRosso	25.6	318,970
		Rick Saccone	15.7	195,774
		Teddy Daniels	12.1	150,935
		Clarice Schillinger	11.9	148,442
		Jeff Coleman	10.1	126,072
		James Jones	9.1	113,966
		Russell Diamond	6.0	74,265
		John Brown	4.8	59,267
		Chris Frye	4.7	58,752

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,246,443
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Gerald Carnicella (R)
• Brandon Flood (R)
• Angela Grant (R)

2020

See also: Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 64

Incumbent R. Lee James defeated Michael Bagdes-Canning in the general election for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 64 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		R. Lee James (R)	80.5	23,004
		Michael Bagdes-Canning (G)	19.5	5,587

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 28,591
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 64

Incumbent R. Lee James advanced from the Republican primary for Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 64 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		R. Lee James	100.0	6,964

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,964
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on April 26, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was February 16, 2016.

Incumbent R. Lee James defeated John Kluck and Michael Bagdes-Canning in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 64 general election.

Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 64, General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	R. Lee James Incumbent	62.48%	16,082
	Democratic	John Kluck	34.91%	8,987
	Green	Michael Bagdes-Canning	2.61%	672
Total Votes				25,741
Source: Pennsylvania Department of State

Incumbent R. Lee James ran unopposed in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 64 Republican primary.

Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 64 Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Republican	R. Lee James Incumbent (unopposed)

John Kluck (D) received enough votes as a write-in candidate to appear on the general election ballot.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Michael Bagdes-Canning did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Candidate Conversations

Candidate Conversations is a virtual debate format that allows voters to easily get to know their candidates through a short video Q&A. Click below to watch the conversation for this race.

Michael Bagdes-Canning completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Bagdes-Canning's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am an educator, organizer, and fighter. I am nothing without my community, so I do my best to serve it when I get the chance.

I taught at George Jr. Republic, a reformatory school, for thirty years because, as a high school trouble maker myself, I know the impact a good teacher can have on struggling students. My wife Karen and I did our best to welcome students into our home and be a caring figure for them. I was a proud member of PSEA and the vice president of my local.

I retired from teaching ten years ago and have thrown myself full time into community organizing. I have driven all across Pennsylvania knocking on doors and rallying towns against the exploitative Fracking and Pipeline companies that seek to tear up their land, poison their water supply, and ship any and all profits off to Wall Street.

I have been a member of the Cherry Valley Borough Council for 8 terms and counting. I am a member of Marcellus Outreach Butler, a founder of Better Path Coalition, and previously have served on the State Coordinating Committee of the PA Poor People's Campaign.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Jobs you can live on.
• Water you can drink.
• Healthcare as a human right.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

If there is one thing my community needs, it is jobs. Every day seems to bring news of another major employer shutting down or moving away. Our local officials say they are fighting for us and fighting for our jobs, but those words ring hallow against their votes to under cut our unions. We need a new generation of well paying, 21st Century, Green Jobs. We need a Universal Jobs Guarantee that will provide a job serving our community to every individual that needs one.
Instead, our local officials have directed billions of dollars in tax payer money into the dying Oil and Gas industry. They have let Fracking and Pipeline companies tear up our land and poison our water yet have gotten us hardly any new jobs or profits in return. Oil Region is no stranger to environmental destruction from extractive and heavy industries, but we accepted that as the cost of economic prosperity. That prosperity has long since left the area, but the destruction remains.
That legacy of pollution has left our community sick even before the pandemic hit, yet far too many of us cannot afford to see a doctor or access the care we need. I am for a Medicare for All policy that will cover all necessary health care expenses with no co-pays, deductibles, or premiums.
Healthcare is a human right. We cannot live without it.
I am a fierce defender of our rights, which have suffered horribly under the leadership of the two major parties, such as the loss our right to a fair trial because of Cash Bail.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to my father, an elementary school principal who taught me what solidarity means. When the teachers of his school went on strike, he was told by his superiors to stand with the district and the state against the their demands. or else be fired. He couldn't and wouldn't-he liked to say he wasn't the school's principle but rather its "Principle Teacher". He joined their picket line and went on strike with them.

I have lived my life trying to live up to that example, of fighting for your friends and colleagues even when it comes with personal risk. No fight worth fighting is easy, but they are necessary.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

I believe that the core responsibilities of someone elected to the State Legislature are to listen and fight for the interests of their constituents. That means fighting on behalf of all of the constituents, not just the ones that write a check and not just the ones that vote for you. I believe State Legislators need to fight for what is right, and act from a deep seated belief in both our democracy and equality and equity of all.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want my children and grandchildren to have the opportunities that I had. I want them to breathe clean air, drink clean water, move into adulthood without crippling debt. I want them to grow up in communities where they are valued for who they are, not the color of their skin or who they love. I want District 64 to be a place that grows its own food, that supports its local businesses, that values its workers, and pays a living wage. Our State Government should be investing in public services for public good, not in multinational corporations for Wall Street profit.

What is your favorite book? Why?

My favorite book is a book of essays by Wendell Berry called What Are People For? I always go back to that book because it points to how we, as an economy, have shortchanged rural areas. We extract wealth from them with little regard to the lasting harm. We force farmers to work for pennies an hour to put food and fiber on our tables. We mine and drill landscapes with little regard to the damage it leaves - to both people and place. It also describes a vibrant local economy, a place where people matter more than always lower prices. Where buying from the guy down the street is a neighborly act because his welfare is also my welfare.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe it is most important for a legislator to have experience working with communities to fight for change. A legislator must know how to listen to a community, find out what's ailing them, and rally them around a potential solution. A legislator must be intimately familiar with policy, and also with how policy but impacts and reads to different constituents.
A legislator can gain this experience through previous government experience. I have served in my municipal government before, but I have learned far more from my time as a community organizer and activist. My beliefs have not been formed by lobbyists streaming in and out of my office, but by hundreds of conversations I have had while knocking on doors across the state with moms, dads, factory workers, teachers, and oil field workers.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

The greatest challenge Pennsylvania faces is remaking our economy to one again work for working people, not big corporations and Wall Street, and one that can sustainably co-exist with the land we live on. Pennsylvania has poured $667 million into the fossil fuel industry since the start of the pandemic alone. We need to be putting that money into creating a Green Jobs Guarantee. Under this program, each person who wants employment will be able to find it transforming our power grid into a smart grid with smart storage powered entirely by renewable energy. They will go home to home replacing outdated heating systems and improving weather sealing. They will turn all public buildings into models of sustainability. They will join the ranks of a new State Civilian Conservation Corps that will work to restore the ecosystems devastated by over a century of extractive and heavy industries. And they will work with local communities to realize projects large and small to modernize and greenify Pennsylvania.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

One of the most illuminating conversations I've had occurred several years ago. I was called to Summit Elementary by a distraught parent.

A well, just over 700 feet from the school was flaring. Flaring releases highly toxic shit into the air. I started knocking on doors to find out what the people in the neighborhood thought. I met a woman at her mailbox and asked her what she thought. Her response has stuck with me. She said, "I've lived here for 47 years. We have a good community, we all get along, but we don't talk about the tough things." When she said this, it struck me. It shows just how broken our communities are. Here is this monstrosity is poisoning young people in the community but they don't talk about it because it's a tough thing. That's a total breakdown of community. Community comes from communis "common, public, general, shared by all or many." If we can't even talk about our shared obligation to each other, then we are doomed.

And then, as I was walking away, she called after me. "What can we do? They're so big and we're so small." Not only are our communities broken but so is our "democracy." We don't even feel strong enough to shape our own communities.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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