TV hopefuls hit US campaign trail

Democrat Howard Dean's political aide is coaching the contestants

A former aide to President Clinton and the gay activist daughter of a prominent US politician are among the contestants in a new US reality show.

The Showtime network's American Candidate, which begins on 1 August, sees ten contestants compete for the chance to address the nation.

The show will follow contestants on a campaign trail across the US, taking part in debates and rallies.

The winner will receive a cash prize of $200,000 (£111,110).

Each week, the contestant who scores the most points will have "immunity", while the two lowest-scoring contestants will fight it out in a snap debate, with the loser being ejected from the show.

The ten contestants also include an Arizona school teacher, a former California environment secretary and a Las Vegas venture capitalist.

Election plans

They will be coached by a team of political experts, including Joe Trippi, who ran Democrat Howard Dean's campaign effort to become the party's presidential candidate.

Carter Eskew, chief strategist for Vice President Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign, is also involved.

The show was originally devised by documentary-maker RJ Cutler, and was supposed to have been shown on the cable channel FX.

The initial plan, launched in 2002, was to have the winning candidate unveiled in Washington DC on 4 July.

The winner would then have had the chance to run as a candidate in this November's actual presidential election.

Last year, ITV was reported to be planning a political equivalent of its successful music talent show Pop Idol, called Vote For Me.

In addition, some political commentators have suggested Westminster has important lessons to learn from shows like Big Brother, which attract millions of votes.