Joe the Plumber

Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher (December 3, 1973 – August 27, 2023), commonly known as "Joe the Plumber", was an American conservative activist and commentator.

Wurzelbacher was born on December 3, 1973, in Toledo, Ohio, to Kay and Frank Wurzelbacher.

The family moved to Florida when he was young, then returned to Toledo when he was in the middle of high school.

After high school, Wurzelbacher enlisted in the United States Air Force, and chose plumbing (Air Force Specialty Code 3E451, or Utility Systems Specialist) as his area of training.

He was stationed in Alaska and North Dakota.

Wurzelbacher left the Air Force in 1996 and worked as a plumber's assistant, but then switched careers and started working for the telecommunications company Global Crossing.

He gained national attention during the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign season when, during a videotaped campaign stop in Ohio by Democratic nominee Barack Obama, Wurzelbacher raised concerns that Obama's tax policy would increase taxes on small business owners.

Wurzelbacher was a member of the Republican Party.

After he expressed to Senator Obama that he was interested in purchasing a small plumbing business, Wurzelbacher was given the moniker "Joe the Plumber" by the McCain–Palin campaign.

The campaign brought him in to make several appearances in campaign events in Ohio and McCain often referenced "Joe the Plumber" in campaign speeches and in the final presidential debate, as a metaphor for middle-class Americans.

Wurzelbacher became a prominent conservative activist, commentator, author, and motivational speaker.

On October 12, 2008, during a campaign break before the final presidential debate at Hofstra University, Obama visited a working-class neighborhood in Toledo, Ohio.

Wurzelbacher watched as the candidate engaged residents in conversation.

He made his way through the crowd to ask Obama about his tax plan.

Wurzelbacher suggested that Obama's tax plan would be at odds with "the American dream".

Wurzelbacher said, "I'm getting ready to buy a company that makes 250 to 280 thousand dollars a year. Your new tax plan's going to tax me more, isn't it?"

Obama responded with an explanation of how his tax plan would affect a small business in this bracket.

Obama said, "If you're a small business, which you would qualify, first of all, you would get a 50 percent tax credit so you'd get a cut in taxes for your health care costs. So you would actually get a tax cut on that part. If your revenue is above 250, then from 250 down, your taxes are going to stay the same. It is true that, say for 250 up — from 250 to 300 or so, so for that additional amount, you'd go from 36 to 39 percent, which is what it was under Bill Clinton."

Obama also said, "It's not that I want to punish your success. I just want to make sure that everybody who is behind you, that they've got a chance at success, too... My attitude is that if the economy's good for folks from the bottom up, it's gonna be good for everybody. If you've got a plumbing business, you're gonna be better off [...] if you've got a whole bunch of customers who can afford to hire you, and right now everybody's so pinched that business is bad for everybody and I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody."

During the third and final Presidential debate on October 15, 2008, at Hofstra University, many references were made to "Joe the Plumber".

In the debate, McCain repeatedly brought up "Joe the Plumber" and Obama and McCain then made statements aimed directly at Wurzelbacher.

As a result, subsequent media attention was directed at Wurzelbacher.

After the debate, Wurzelbacher did not declare his vote for either candidate.

He expressed concern that Obama's plans were "one step closer to socialism".

Obama's running mate Joe Biden argued that 98% of small businesses take in less than $250,000 a year in income and thus wouldn't be subject to higher taxes under Obama's plan.

McCain stated that Wurzelbacher would see higher taxes under Obama's plan.

Wurzelbacher spoke to Katie Couric of CBS Evening News on October 15, shortly after the conclusion of the final debate.

Asked whether Obama's proposed $250,000 tax threshold would affect him, Wurzelbacher replied: "Not right now at presently, but (...) he's going to do that now for people who make $250,000 a year. When's he going to decide that $100,000 is too much? (...) You're on a slippery slope here. You vote on somebody who decides that $250,000 and you're rich? And $100,000 and you're rich? (...) Where does it end?"

He also said: "I asked the question but I still got a tap dance...almost as good as Sammy Davis Jr."

Wurzelbacher held a press conference at his home on the morning of October 16, following the debates, where he refused to express support for either candidate.

"I'm not telling anybody anything" about which candidate he preferred, he said, adding, "It's a private booth. I want the American people to vote for who they want to vote for."

On October 16, Wurzelbacher appeared on Your World with Neil Cavuto on Fox News.

Neil Cavuto asked if Wurzelbacher was persuaded by Obama's plan.

Wurzelbacher said that he was not and that he was more frightened upon hearing it.

Wurzelbacher suggested that Obama's plan was socialist in nature.

That same day, Wurzelbacher also appeared on Good Morning America.

Diane Sawyer asked him if he was taking home $250,000 now, Wurzelbacher said with a laugh "No, not even close."

Sawyer asked Wurzelbacher, "And the McCain camp, some people have said did they contact you and tell you that you were going to be a major part of this, and had they contacted you before that encounter with Senator Obama?"

Wurzelbacher answered, "Oh no, no, no one's contacted me as far as if I was going to be on the debate or as far as my name being used. No. I have been contacted by them and asked to show up at a rally. But, other than that, no. I just happened to be here and Barack Obama happened to show up."

In 2012, he ran on the Republican ticket to represent Ohio's 9th congressional district in the House of Representatives, losing to Democratic incumbent Marcy Kaptur.