Morgan the Plumber hits New Zealand election trail

[October 31, 2008]  WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- Prime Minister Helen Clark found New Zealand's "Joe the Plumber" on the campaign trail Friday.

Clark was campaigning at a retirement home in the northern city of Auckland when a visiting plumber, Morgan Luxton, asked her how her Labour party would help the self-employed.

Clearly aware of the now-famous American tradesman Joe the Plumber, Clark slipped the word "plumber" into her response nearly a dozen times.

Luxton later said he was "a bit embarrassed" because he was the only plumber in the room.

Luxton, an undecided voter, said he was leaning toward voting for Clark's center-left Labour Party in the Nov. 8 elections after voting for the center-right main opposition National Party in the last elections.

America's Joe the Plumber, whose real name is Samuel J. "Joe" Wurzelbacher, 34, of Ohio, shot to national attention when he questioned Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama about his tax policies. Republican presidential hopeful John McCain repeatedly cites Joe the Plumber in his speeches, saying Obama's plan would hurt people like him who want to own their own businesses.

[Associated Press]

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