A Jewish woman is hoping to win support from voters across the United States in her bid to be the country's next president.

Jill Stein, the nominee for the Green Party, faces an uphill battle, given that political support in the US tends to be split between the two main parties.

Ms Stein, a doctor and mother of two from Massachusetts, was named the party's first ever presidential candidate after beating Jewish comedian Roseanne Barr at the national convention.

The 62-year-old has twice stood to be Massachusetts governor, a position held by Republican hopeful Mitt Romney for four years.

Green Party activists hope Ms Stein's name will appear on the ballot paper in 45 of the country's 50 states. Ms Stein, who has described herself as "a genuine champion of working people", beat Ms Barr to the nomination by more than 120 votes.

"I think we have underdog voters," she said after winning the nomination. "We have underdog citizens. The 99 per cent is the underdog. It's not a bad position to be in."

If Ms Stein is successful, she would be the first Jewish incumbent of the White House, an achievement Republican Fred Karger unsuccessfully attempted to reach earlier this year.

Joe Lieberman remains the only Jewish vice-presidential candidate in the history of the major parties.