God Tells Joe the Plumber Not to Run for Office

Posted by Amanda Terkel, Think Progress at 9:45 AM on July 1, 2009.

Last year at the height of his "fame," Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher — aka "Joe the Plumber" -- said that he was considering a run for public office. "I’d be up for it," he said. Excited fans even set up a "Draft Joe the Plumber" site. But in a new interview with WorldNetDaily, Wurzelbacher said that he now isn’t planning to run because God doesn’t want him to:

Asked if he has plans to run for public office, he replied, "I hope not. You know, I talked to God about that and he was like, ‘No.’”

He continued, "I believe he’s gotten me on this grassroots movement. If I can encourage leaders to step up, that’s what I would like to do. That’s a heavy role. That’s something I don’t know if I am prepared to do yet."

But Wurzelbacher said he will keep that door open if God ever calls him to be that leader.

Right now, Wurzelbacher is preparing to participate in the upcoming tea parties.

Amanda Terkel is Deputy Research Director at the Center for American Progress and serves as Deputy Editor for The Progress Report and ThinkProgress.org at the Center for American Progress.