A vote tally has indicated that Ohio's "Joe the Plumber," who gained significant attention during the 2008 U. S. presidential election, is now an elected official.

It has been reported that Samuel J. Wurzelbacher of Holland, Ohio, near Toledo, defeated his opponent 38-23 to become one of 397 members of his county's Republican Party central committee.

The vote total must still be certified by the county Board of Elections.

The Toledo Blade, which first reported his win, said that central committee members meet several times a year to approve party policies and elect a chairman "and are expected to be foot soldiers for Republican candidates," posting campaign signs and making phone calls.

He decided to run for public office to "weed out the liars, cheaters and thieves," but said he would wait a few years before asking God whether to run for a higher office, Wurzelbacher told the Talking Points Memo political blog.

Wurzelbacher told the political blog, "I pray that he doesn't want me to run for office."

Wurzelbacher became a conservative icon after he was videotaped questioning Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama about his small-business tax policy during an Obama campaign stop in Ohio.

It was also reported that the Republican McCain-Palin campaign later applied "Joe the Plumber" as a metaphor for average working people.

A book was published about his experiences by Wurzelbacher and has appeared as a motivational speaker and commentator. (With Inputs from Agencies)