While Mack made the opposite journey, the producers of the show insist they hope to see their 10 faux politicians turn into real politicians. And Mack admits he's interested in running for governor again — although he's not sure whether that's governor of Utah or of Arizona. And he's looking at other offices, too. "I've had people ask me to come back to Arizona and run against (U.S. Sen. John) McCain, which I might do."

For now, Mack is back in Provo, working on a spy novel, waiting for the show to air and considering his options.

And, like the other candidates, he's anticipating a big reaction to the show, which — given the fact that Showtime is in only about 13 million homes nationwide, and its most popular original programming is seen in considerably fewer homes than that — may be more than a bit optimistic.

"I know a lot of people where I'm from in Arizona and Utah both who are getting really excited about this show," Mack said. "And the people I know, and my constituents, are going to be asking me about this and be confronting me about my views.

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E-mail: pierce@desnews.com