Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher (; 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 raised concerns that Obama’s tax policy would increase taxes on small business owners. Wurzelbacher is a member of the Republican Party.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.