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TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Joe the Plumber is plunging into party politics.

Samuel "Joe" Wurzelbacher (WUR'-zuhl-bah-kur), who was hailed by Republican John McCain's presidential campaign in 2008, has won one of nearly 400 seats on the local Republican Party committee in Ohio's Lucas County.

The group elects the county chairman and sets the party agenda. Wurzelbacher won the seat by a 38-24 vote Tuesday in his suburban Toledo precinct.

He became an overnight sensation almost two years ago after questioning then-Sen. Barack Obama on the campaign trail about his economic policies and then when McCain repeatedly cited "Joe the Plumber" in a debate.

Wurzelbacher has since written a book and spoken at conservative gatherings.