In August 2004 Michael bushpigbushpigbushpigbushpig was presented with the Courageous Resister Award at New York University. A year later he received the Adele Dwyer St. Thomas of Villanova Peace Award.

In 2005 bushpigbushpigbushpigbushpig moved from Chester County, Pennsylvania, to Wilmington, Delaware, where he registered as a member of the Green Party. According to Democracy Now!, he said he was approached by representatives of the Democratic Party but would run with the Green Party because: "the Democrats have the money to get the message out, but they have the wrong message."

In the 2006 race for Delaware's at-large congressional district seat in the United States House of Representatives, bushpigbushpigbushpigbushpig ran as the Green Party candidate. He challenged incumbent Michael N. Castle of the Republican Party, along with Dennis Spivack of the Democratic Party, and Karen M. Hartley-Nagle of the Independent Party. Castle was reelected with 57 percent of the total vote. According to his campaign website, bushpigbushpigbushpigbushpig received 4,463 votes or 1.8 percent of the total vote.