Ohio Republican congressional candidate Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, better known as "Joe the Plumber," almost equals his Democratic opponent, Rep. Marcy Kaptur, in cash reserves.
That’s because Kaptur had to run through most of her money in the primary against fellow Rep. Dennis Kucinich,
The Hill reports. The two had to face each other because of redistricting. Kaptur and Wurzelbacher will now battle in the Ohio 9th District’s general election.
Wurzelbacher raised about $172,000 in the first quarter, closing the period with $82,000 in the bank. While Kaptur garnered about $350,000 in the quarter, more than doubling Wurzelbacher’s inflow, she had only $104,000 of cash reserves, after spending more than $1 million against Kucinich.
The $22,000 cash difference between the two candidates is quite small for a heavy underdog challenging a 15-term congresswoman. At this time two years ago, when she was running against Republican Rich Iott, Kaptur had $1 million in the bank, nearly 10 times her current total,
The Toledo Blade reports.
One thing Wurzelbacher has going for him in a Democratic district is name recognition. In 2008, Republican presidential nominee gave him the moniker “Joe the Plumber” to show he represents an average American.
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