Clinton campaign manager joins the Paddick team

Rick Ridder, who has played a major role for the Democrats in the last four US elections, will be the Lib-Dem mayoral candidate's strategy chief.

His arrival comes as a major boost for Mr Paddick's campaign as he takes on Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson in the race to be Mayor.

The former Met deputy assistant commissioner has been fighting to prevent the election becoming a twohorse race between Labour and the Tories.

He has been buoyed by recent good shows in the polls and the defection of a former London chairman from the Tories, but remains in third place.

Mr Ridder has vast experience of campaigning and has worked for Gary Hart, Al Gore, Bill Clinton, Bill Bradley and Howard Dean in their White House bids.

Most recently, he ran Mrs Clinton's campaign for the Democratic nomination against Barack Obama in Arizona, winning the state against the odds. Mr Paddick said: "Rick Ridder has been called the "Columbo" of American campaigns. As a former policeman, I know what a contribution a solid analytical mind can bring to a team. Having Rick on board is a real boost to our campaign and proof that we are serious about London and serious about winning."

The Denver-based consultant, who joined the team two weeks ago, will be advising the former deputy assistant commissioner on strategy and tactics.

He first worked with the Lib-Dems in 1989 and was used by Charles Kennedy to help fight the last general election when the party picked up 11 seats.

He will be paid an undisclosed sum, which could reach as high as six figures, from the Lib-Dems' London campaign coffers for his guidance.

A campaign insider said: "He's got a brilliant mind and is really funny but has that great American attribute of being relaxed under pressure. He's injected a whole lot of energy into the campaign since he came aboard a couple of weeks ago."

He joins a team largely made up of long-standing Lib-Dem officials.

Campaign manager Andrew Reeves, who has overall responsibility for the campaign, has previously worked for Lynne Featherstone, Simon Hughes and Vince Cable.

Press secretary Emily Walch is a former parliamentary researcher for Welsh MP Roger Williams who worked her way up through the Lib-Dem ranks, working as Sir Menzies Campbell's head of office, then senior press officer for the London Assembly Lib-Dems, where she helped the party hit above its weight in the media.

Events secretary Carina Trimingham, a former political journalist, went into music PR before working for former Lib-Dem leadership candidate Chris Huhne then moving to the Paddick campaign.

Mr Paddick believes he can seize power if he makes it through to the second round of voting on 1 May.

After the initial vote count, the top two candidates will go to the second round, with second preference votes of the eliminated candidates being reallocated if they are for either of the two front-runners.

Boris Johnson has already signed up strategist Lynton Crosby, who has decades of experience of successfully fighting elections in Australia, to help him win the mayoral contest. He is regarded as a formidable professional who insiders believe will not shy away from taking on Ken Livingstone.

However, he was also hired by the Tories at the last general election and oversaw a dismal defeat for Michael Howard.

The Mayor has recruited the advertising agency behind the Cadbury's Dairy Milk gorilla adverts to help in his re-election battle.

At the heart of his £400,000 communications plans will be a series of newspaper adverts, billboard posters and YouTube clips featuring Mr Livingstone thought up by awardwinning firm Fallon.

Its recent innovative Dairy Milk advert, which featured images of a gorilla playing drums to Phil Collins hit In The Air Tonight, captured the public imagination.