Joe the Plumber

Wurzelbacher voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.

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."

In February 2014, Wurzelbacher took a job at a Jeep plant which required him to be a member of the United Auto Workers. He complained that his colleagues have called him a "Tea-bagger". The Washington Post, citing Sean McAlinden, who has studied the auto-bailout as the Chief Economist for the non-profit Center for Automotive Research, commented that an "irony" is "that Joe the Plumber may not have gotten this auto job if it weren't for the hated bailout of the auto industry" which was "first championed by Bush" but attacked by conservatives when implemented by Obama. McAliden is quoted saying "He wouldn't have gotten a job in Toledo if Chrysler hadn't been bailed out..Chrysler would have shut down immediately. No production; no jobs; no pension payments; no nothing." For his part, Joe indicated he has no problem with unions per se, stating "Private unions, such as the UAW, is a choice between employees and employers. If that is what they want, then who am I to say you can't have it?".

In an open letter to the parents of victims who died in the 2014 Isla Vista killings, Wurzelbacher wrote of his right to "protect my family" stating, "As harsh as this sounds—your dead kids don't trump my Constitutional rights ... We still have the Right to Bear Arms ... Any feelings you have toward my rights being taken away from me, lose those."

Since he expressed to then-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. 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.

In the March 6, 2012 primary, Wurzelbacher gained the nomination as the Republican candidate in the race, defeating challenger Steven Kraus. He ran in the November 2012 general election against Kaptur, who had won the Democratic primary against Dennis Kucinich after the two incumbents' respective Congressional districts were collapsed into one as a result of post-2010 Census redistricting by the state's Republican-controlled legislature. He lost the election, with Kaptur, who had been the heavy favorite, receiving over 70% of the vote.

In June 2012, Wurzelbacher's election campaign released a video in which he claimed that the implementation of gun control resulted in Europe's Jews being unable to defend themselves during the Holocaust, explaining that "In 1939, Germany established gun control. From 1939 to 1945, six million Jews and seven million others unable to defend themselves were exterminated." In the same video, Wurzelbacher stated that the implementation of gun control by the Ottoman Empire in 1911 resulted in Armenians being unable to defend themselves against the Armenian Genocide.

In August 2012, Wurzelbacher drew criticism for a comment he made about illegal immigration. During a campaign rally for Arizona State Senator Lori Klein, Wurzelbacher said, "For years I've said, you know, put a damn fence on the border, going to Mexico and start shooting."

In Wisconsin, on February 2011, he spoke at a counter-demonstration during protests against Governor Scott Walker's attempts to abolish collective bargaining rights of some public employees. In 2012, Wurzelbacher started the news site "Joe For America".

On October 7, 2011, Wurzelbacher filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to challenge Democratic Representative Marcy Kaptur in the 2012 race for Ohio's 9th congressional seat.

On February 13, 2010, Wurzelbacher attended a political event for Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Sam Rohrer. Speaking to a reporter afterwards, Wurzelbacher said that "McCain was trying to use [him]", and accused McCain of having "really screwed [his] life up".

In January 2009, Wurzelbacher became a war correspondent for PJ Media. His first assignment involved visiting Israel for ten days during the Gaza War, with his reporting focusing on the Israeli experience of the conflict.

In May 2009, Time magazine reported that Wurzelbacher was quitting the Republican Party.

On June 25, 2009, Wurzelbacher spoke at an event called "Pints and Politics" in Wausau, Wisconsin. During his speech, Wurzelbacher questioned why Chris Dodd hadn't been "strung up" yet. He stated that the Founding Fathers "knew socialism doesn't work. They knew communism doesn't work."

In response to the event, Republican Ohio state representative Shannon Jones sponsored House Bill 648, which mandates civil and criminal penalties for improper access of personal information on state databases. On January 6, 2009, Governor Ted Strickland signed the legislation, which became effective after 90 days.

On March 5, 2009, on behalf of Joe Wurzelbacher, Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit in a U.S. District Court in Columbus charging that Jones-Kelley and fellow ODJFS employees Fred Williams and Doug Thompson improperly searched "confidential state databases" in an attempt to retaliate against Wurzelbacher's criticism of then-presidential candidate Barack Obama. The lawsuit claims that "officials of the State of Ohio violated Mr. Wurzelbacher's constitutional rights," and that "Wurzelbacher suffered emotional distress, harassment, and embarrassment as a result of the search." Tom Fitton, the president of Judicial Watch, stated that "no American should be investigated for simply asking a question of a public official." The lawsuit seeks unspecified punitive damages. On August 4, 2010, the U.S District Court in Columbus dismissed the lawsuit on the grounds that the state database search didn't amount to a constitutional violation to the right to privacy. On March 25, 2012, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed the dismissal.

On October 14, 2009, the Columbus Dispatch reported that, "A former contractor for the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police has been charged with rummaging through state computers to retrieve confidential information about 'Joe the Plumber.'" The State Highway Patrol has stated that, "this individual has also used a law-enforcement computer network on Oct. 16, 2008 to access personal information about Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher."

On October 12, 2008, during a campaign break before the final presidential debate at Hofstra University, Obama visited a working class Toledo, Ohio neighborhood. Wurzelbacher watched as the candidate engaged numerous 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?"

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.

In 2008, Wurzelbacher signed with a publicity management agent regarding media relationships, including "a possible record deal with a major label, personal appearances and corporate sponsorships."

In November 2008, Wurzelbacher was hired for a series of commercials reminding people to convert analog television to digital. Wurzelbacher was hired to help consumers understand the DTV transition in the United States through a series of videos designed to explain the changeover.

In November 2008, Wurzelbacher began promoting his book Joe the Plumber: Fighting for the American Dream. Co-written with novelist Thomas Tabback and published by PearlGate Publishing of Austin, Texas, the book addresses Wurzelbacher's ideas concerning American values. In particular, Wurzelbacher criticizes John McCain and states that he did not want him as the Republican presidential nominee. Wurzelbacher criticized McCain as a candidate, saying that the election was "the lesser of two evils." On December 10, 2008, it was reported that Wurzelbacher also criticized McCain for voting for the $700 billion Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, also known as the bank bailout. On the issue of taxation, he does not consider himself to be a supporter of either party.

After his meeting with Barack Obama, a campaign to draft Wurzelbacher to run for the United States House of Representatives in the 2010 election started with the website joewurzelbacher2010.com. The Washington Times and the Boston Herald reported that the campaign's goal was to draft Wurzelbacher to run against Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio's 9th congressional district , although the possibility also existed for Kaptur to choose to run for the Senate seat being vacated by George Voinovich. The website was created by Trevor Lair (then-chairman of the Massachusetts College Republicans), Derek Khanna, and the Massachusetts Alliance of College Republicans. It encouraged visitors to sign an online petition that supported Wurzelbacher's run for office. Laura Ingraham asked Wurzelbacher, on October 24, 2008, if he would run against Kaptur. Wurzelbacher responded that he had considered the run and would be "up for it".

As part of the background on McCain's use of "Joe the Plumber" during the 2008 campaign, several media outlets researched his professional plumbing credentials. One Toledo Blade article stated: "Mr. Wurzelbacher said he works under Al Newell's license, but according to Ohio building regulations, he must maintain his own license to do plumbing work. He is also not registered to operate as a plumber in Ohio, which means he's not a plumber." "Mr. Joseph [business manager of the local union] said Mr. Wurzelbacher could only legally work in the townships, but not in any municipality in Lucas County or elsewhere in the country." Wurzelbacher later stated that he was no longer employed at Newell.

ABC News reported on October 16, 2008, that there was a judgment lien against Wurzelbacher for non-payment of $1,182 in owed Ohio state income taxes dating to January 2007, but "no action has been taken against him outside of filing the lien." Barb Losie, deputy clerk of the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas, said that "there is a 99 percent chance [Wurzelbacher] doesn't know about the lien, unless he did a credit report or was ready to pay his taxes." While on Hannity & Colmes, Wurzelbacher stated that he was unaware of the tax lien prior to it being reported in the press. The taxes were paid on November 6.

Prior to the 2008 election, Vanessa Niekamp, an employee of Ohio's Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), at the behest of its director, Helen Jones-Kelley, used state computers to search for information on Joe Wurzelbacher. On November 20, 2008, Niekamp reported the violation to the State Inspector General. State and local officials completed an investigation into Jones-Kelley's order, concluding that the searches were improper. On December 17, 2008, Jones-Kelley resigned.

Regarding his statement to Barack Obama about intending to buy the plumbing firm that employed him, Wurzelbacher later said that the idea of buying the company was discussed during his job interview six years prior. Court records show that Wurzelbacher made $40,000 in 2006.

Wurzelbacher was born 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 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 also married, had a son, and then divorced during this time.

Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher (/ˈ w ɜːr z əl b ɑː k ər / ; born December 3, 1973), known as Joe the Plumber, is an American conservative activist and commentator. He gained national attention during the 2008 U.S. presidential election when, during a videotaped campaign stop in Ohio by then Democratic nominee Senator Barack Obama, Wurzelbacher asked Obama about his small business tax policy. Obama's response included the statement, "when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody.” Wurzelbacher is a member of the Republican Party.