Michael Dorland

Dorland says he grew up in rural South Dakota, where his family lost their house and business when he was young, and that he was briefly homeless as an adult.[1] His work history includes jobs as a dishwasher and kitchen manager and about four years in retail at K-Mart and Walmart. He later spent two years as a Dell field service technician in southern Arizona, in Sierra Vista, Benson and Douglas, and became the owner of a comic store and other small businesses.[1] He says he has worked with computers since 1980, with a special focus on AI, and Ballotpedia lists his career experience as that of an information technology professional.[1]

Dorland says he lost his house in 2008, largely because of medical debt, while raising two young children, and that he lives with managed mental illness.[1] He described himself as an independent write-in candidate running on his own money, saying he had spent under $200 and took no donations.[1] He was an independent write-in candidate in the general election for Arizona's 6th Congressional District.[1] His campaign said it accepted no donations or party backing, and his survey answers emphasized anti-corruption measures and technology oversight.[1] Michael Dorland lost to JoAnna Mendoza, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[2]