COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  "Joe the Plumber" is endorsing John McCain.

The Ohio plumber, whose real name is Samuel Wurzelbacher, campaigned Tuesday for the Republican presidential candidate in Columbus, the first stop in a day-long bus tour.

Wurzelbacher is a registered Republican but until now had declined to say who he was voting for.

Wurzelbacher said Democrat Barack Obama would make America a socialist nation because Obama wants to redistribute wealth. He said he thinks Obama would target the middle class for tax hikes.

Wurzelbacher became an overnight media sensation after he was referred to constantly in the final presidential debate.

He's since become the central thematic element in speeches by McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

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