Samuel Wurzelbacher, more colloquially known as "Joe the Plumber" is proving to be more handy on the campaign trail than underneath a kitchen sink. The man who first made a name for himself by calling out Obama's tax plan during the 2008 election says he's got a "ground game," complete with hundreds of volunteers in the 9th District of Ohio, where he's running for the U.S. House of Representatives. Despite the support, Wurzelbacher admits he likes to answer his own E-mails, update his Facebook page and personally tweet his own messages to supporters.
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"My staff doesn't do that stuff," Wurzelbacher says. "The buck stops with me."
"Joe" credits his construction experience for his aggressive work ethic: He rises at 5 a.m. to read the newspapers and plans his campaign strategy for the day. He estimates he spends roughly six hours a week answering voters' E-mails alone.
Wurzelbacher will face off against Dennis Kucinich or Marcy Kaptur in November. So far, the highlights of his experience range from connecting with constituents to canvassing with his 16-year-old son. "I knock on doors at least three times a week," he says.
Wurzelbacher faces a difficult race in the 9th District, which has been held by a democrat since 1983. He says he will not resort to attack ads, no matter how tough the campaign turns out to be.
"I won't use attack ads," he says. "And, I will call out groups that do them on my behalf."
"Joe" says he's been turned off by all the attack ads coming out of the presidential primary.
"I don't care for it at all," he says.
"Joe" told U.S. News and World Report in October that he'd cast a vote for Herman Cain, but declined to endorse any of the remaining GOP candidates.
"Anymore, I am concentrating on my own race," he says.
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