Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, the man who had a star-making role during last year’s presidential campaign as Joe the plumber, could visit Park City next month on a campaign swing through Utah for a Senate candidate.
The campaign director for Republican Cherilyn Eagar said Wurzelbacher’s schedule during an upcoming trip to Utah had not been finalized by the middle of the week. He is planning to tour the state holding campaign events and fundraisers in support of Eagar from Nov. 17 until Nov. 20. Eagar is seeking the Senate seat now held by Robert Bennett, another Republican.
David Kyle, Eagar’s campaign director, said it is a “definite possibility” Wurzelbacher will make a campaign stop in Park City. He said the schedule will likely be finalized within two weeks.
“Park City is home to some of Utah’s best snow. It’s too bad it’s not later in the season. I’d take him skiing,” Kyle said.
The campaign swing is billed as a statewide affair, from St. George to Logan. Kyle said Wurzelbacher is slated to attend an event on Nov. 18 in Salt Lake City, but the remainder of the schedule is not set.
Wurzelbacher became a sensation during the presidential campaign when he questioned Barack Obama about tax policies. He has remained a public figure since, and Republicans have especially been drawn to him.
Eagar on her Web site touts herself as a conservative, with her biography indicating she played a fundraising role for legal research into restricting gay-straight alliance clubs on campus and she supported a statewide ballot measure against gay marriage.
Her campaign, though, has not appeared to make significant progress in Park City or surrounding Summit County. A Wurzelbacher visit would likely be many Parkites’ introduction to Eagar, who is attempting to unseat an entrenched incumbent.
The state’s wealthiest community, Park City in the last few years has become a well-traveled place for politicians visiting Utah on fundraising trips, drawing top-tier Republicans and Democrats. Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani each made fundraising stops in Park City or the Snyderville Basin during the 2008 campaign.
Political leaders in Summit County are unsure what sort of response Wurzelbacher would receive if he visits Park City during his stay in Utah. Summit County generally votes Democratic in state and national elections, and the makeup of the County Council is 4-1 Democratic. The Park City area, meanwhile, has long been seen as one of the strongest Democratic enclaves in Utah, repeatedly voting against the majority in Utah.
Henry Glasheen, the chairman of the Summit County Republican Party, said Wurzelbacher is a “phenomenon.” He worried, though, that Wurzelbacher might not appeal to local Republicans.
“Summit County aligns more with the middle-of-the-road sort of Republican,” Glasheen said.
Glasheen had not been contacted about a Wurzelbacher appearance in Park City by Thursday. If he stops in Park City, Glasheen said, the local Republicans would prefer to hear his opinions about issues like the environment and the financial condition over broader topics that the national GOP stresses.
“I’d like to see him pay attention to issues that affect the state of Utah,” Glasheen said.
Glenn Wright, the chairman of the Summit County Democratic Party, said Wurzelbacher is “not very well informed on the issues.” Wright predicted Wurzelbacher would not draw a big crowd locally, saying people in Summit County are more moderate than Wurzelbacher.
“I think he’s a joke. I don’t think he’s worthy of our attention,” Wright said.