London mayoral candidate recruits US 'blogfather'

Brian Paddick has recruited US web strategist Jerome Armstrong to beef up his online campaign

Liberal Democrat London mayoral candidate Brian Paddick has recruited US web strategist Jerome Armstrong in a bid to beef up his online campaign and reach new audiences.

Armstrong, also known as the 'blogfather', worked with Howard Dean's unsuccessful grassroots US presidential campaign in 2004.

Armstrong runs the influential MyDD leftwing blog and co-wrote the book Crashing the Gate with Daily Kos blogger Markos Moulitsas, coining the term 'netroots' to account for the rise of grassroots activism on the internet.

"We are very pleased to have Armstrong and his team on board. Jerome is one of the leading web strategists in the world," said Paddick.

"Jerome's arrival is another boost to my campaign team and shows we are serious about London and serious about winning."

A spokeswoman for Paddick's campaign said that Armstrong would focus on " appealing to an alternative audience and alternative media by building a big internet presence".

The US blogging expert will serve as the campaign's web strategist until 1 May and has already set up a Twitter profile to invite questions and comments from the public.

Launching the micro-blogging service yesterday Paddick claimed to be the only mayoral candidate to have a Twitter profile.

Other 'Twittering' politicians include Health Secretary Alan Johnson, who used the service last year during his botched campaign for the deputy leadership of the Labour Party.