"Joe the Plumber," who covered rocket attacks on Israel for the conservative Pajamas Media outlet, now wants to be “Joe the Congressman.” Joe Wurzelbacher has filed with the Federal Election Commission to run as a Republican candidate in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District but told reporters he would not make a final decision until later this month.
He won instant fame in the United States after challenging President Barack Obama in the last leg of his campaign for president, charging that his platform would force him to pay higher taxes.
John McCain, who was the Republican candidate against Obama, liked Wurzelbacher’s remarks, nicknamed him Joe the Plumber and picked him up as a campaign supporter.
Buoyed by his new popularity, Joe the Plumber began to broaden his attacks on Obama and came out four-square behind Israel’s right to defend itself as it sees fit against rocket attacks. He was hired as a special correspondent and traveled to southern Israel to report on rocket and mortar shell barrages on Sderot, located less than a mile from northern Gaza and a favorite target of Hamas and allied terrorists.
Wurzelbacher, a Tea Party favorite, is an Ohio resident but lives in a district where he does not want to take on the Republican incumbent.
"If I do anything, it would be in the 9th," Mr. Wurzelbacher told the Toledo Blade. "I live in Ohio and that is what it comes down to. Legally, as long as you live in the state one year and are a registered voter, you can run anywhere you want."
The 9th district seat is currently held by Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, the longest-serving Democratic woman in the House of Representatives,
"The reason I would want to run for Congress is to show the American people and show Ohio that someone can run and serve without compromising their integrity," Wurzelbacher said. "It comes down to jobs. Ohio has lost a quarter of a million people and someone is not doing their job and I know I can do a much better job.”
