Police in the American state of Tennessee have arrested a political candidate and charged him with murder after his election rival was found shot dead.

Byron Looper, who legally changed his middle name to Low Tax, was running as a Republican against Senator Tommy Burks in an election to the Tennessee state senate.

Senator Burks, a Democrat, was shot last monday on his pig farm as he was getting ready to take a group of children on a visit to a field of pumpkins.

Correspondents say Mr Looper got the Republican nomination to run against Senator Burks because no one else was interested in standing.