 Wurzelbacher was videotaped questioning Democratic candidate Barack Obama about his small business tax policy during a campaign stop in Ohio.He received prominence when he was mentioned frequently as "Joe the Plumber" in exchanges between Republican candidate McCain and Obama during the third presidential debate on October 15, 2008.After that "Joe the Plumber" was often used by the McCain campaign and the media as a metaphor for middle class Americans and to refer to Wurzelbacher himself.