A plumber is a tradesman who carries out work on the water supply and sewerage in homes and business premises. The term derives from the Latin word for lead, plumbum, the metal of which water pipes were customarily made until well into the twentieth century. Plumbers are typical of middle class blue-collar Americans in the United States, a fact that came into particular prominence during the 2008 presidential elections when Ohio plumber Joe Wurzelbacher declared his support for the Republican candidate John McCain.