Tucson, AZ -- Twelve of the 24 Democratic candidates on the Feb. 5 primary ballot in Arizona are participating in Project White House, a Reality Journalism contest sponsored by the Tucson Weekly.

Eight of the 24 Republican candidates are also participating in Project White House.

Project White House candidates scored the top slot on both ballots when their names were randomly drawn at the Arizona Secretary of State's Office on Tuesday, Dec. 18.

Sandy Whitehouse of Vail -- who says her last name is her best qualification for the office -- is atop the Democratic ballot, while James Creighton Mitchell Jr. of Illinois is the first name on the GOP ballot.

"I plan on starting at the top and remaining there," Whitehouse said. "I am ready to rumble!"

Project White House is Tucson Weekly's first Reality Journalism contest. Presidential candidates will compete in various challenges not only to win the Arizona primary, but also to capture the coveted Tucson Weekly endorsement.

"Our candidates are going to have to show us they have what it takes to earn our endorsement," said Tucson Weekly senior writer Jim Nintzel, who is coordinating Project White House. "We're delighted to be able to play our part in expanding the Democratic process."

While the majority of Project White House contestants are from Tucson, the competition has attracted participants from around the country, including Rick Outzen, publisher of the Independent News of Pensacola, Fla.

The Weekly will feature profiles of the Project White House candidates in the Jan. 3, 2008, edition. The alternative weekly launched Project White House in a cover story in the Nov. 22 edition, available online here.

A list of Project White House participants to date:

Democrats
1. Peter Bollander (Tucson)
2. Tish Haymer (Tucson)
3. William Martin Campbell (Tucson)
4. Michael Oatman (Tucson)
5. Edward Brown Dobson (Tucson)
6. Chuck See (Tucson)
7. Lilly Hubbard (Tucson)
8. Leland Montell (Tucson)
9. Sandy Whitehouse (Tucson)
10. Edward Brown Dobson (Tucson)
11. Col. Karl E. Krueger (South Dakota)
12. Orion Daly (New York)


Republicans
1. Sean Murphy (Tucson)
2. Charles Skelley (Tucson)
3. John McGrath (Tucson)
4. David Ruben (Tucson)
5. Rick Outzen (Florida)
6. Rhett Smith (Texas)
7. James Creighton Mitchell Jr. (Illinois)
8. Bob Forthan (Oregon)