Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, also known as “Joe the Plumber,” gained recognition during the 2008 presidential campaign when he engaged in an unplanned conversation with Barack Obama about small business taxes. He passed away at the age of 49 due to complications from pancreatic cancer. Mr. Wurzelbacher’s wife, Katie Wurzelbacher, confirmed the cause of death.
During the campaign, Mr. Wurzelbacher expressed concerns about potential tax increases for small businesses, as he was about to purchase a plumbing business with an expected annual income of $250,000. His interaction with Obama led to him being referred to as “Joe the Plumber,” and his name was mentioned numerous times during the final debate of the campaign.
Mr. Wurzelbacher gained popularity among supporters of John McCain and conservative commentators who believed that Obama’s economic policies were socialist or communist and contradicted the American Dream. Sarah Palin, McCain’s running mate, even appeared with Mr. Wurzelbacher at rallies.
However, as Election Day approached, Mr. Wurzelbacher’s image suffered when it was revealed that he was not a licensed plumber and had outstanding back taxes. His allegiance to McCain wavered, and he referred to him as the “lesser of two evils” without revealing his vote.
In 2012, Mr. Wurzelbacher ran as the Republican nominee to challenge Democrat Marcy Kaptur in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, but he suffered a heavy defeat, winning only 23% of the vote.
During his campaign, Mr. Wurzelbacher released a video defending the Second Amendment, claiming that gun control had enabled past genocides such as the Ottoman Empire’s genocide against Armenians and the Holocaust during Nazi Germany. He also wrote a letter to parents of victims in a mass shooting, asserting his constitutional rights to bear arms.
Mr. Wurzelbacher was born on December 3, 1973, and served in the Air Force, where he received training in plumbing. After his discharge in 1996, he worked as a plumber’s assistant and for a telecommunications company. After the 2008 election, he capitalized on his celebrity status with TV commercials, a book, and reporting on the Israeli ground invasion of Gaza.
He is survived by his wife, Katie, and four children.
Despite his interaction with Obama and the attention he received, Mr. Wurzelbacher remained unconvinced that Obama’s tax proposal would benefit small plumbing businesses. He believed in individual discretion when it came to choosing where to allocate money and considered Obama’s approach counter to the American Dream.
His wife, Katie, confirmed that the encounter with Obama was spontaneous and not orchestrated by Republican operatives. She stated that their life changed drastically as a result of that one question, and it always amazed Mr. Wurzelbacher how a simple inquiry thrust him into the national spotlight.
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