By Bethany Wheatley

The announcement this morning that Mayor of London Boris Johnson plans to run for a second term comes as no surprise to anyone who has witnessed his passion for the job.

The launch of the Back Boris 2012 campaign will most likely crystallise support for Ken Livingstone as Labour’s candidate and lead some to argue that it’s the 2008 election all over again. It took a big personality in the person of Boris to beat Ken and Labour will be fully aware that a big personality will be needed to take on Boris if Labour stands a chance.

But it’s not 2008 all over again. Crime has fallen by nearly 6% and the murder rate in London has fallen to levels not seen since 1978. An innovative educational unit was started at Feltham and youth re-offending rates have dropped. Waste has been cut from the City Hall budget and invested elsewhere, such as in tree-planting schemes in Outer London. The Mayor’s precept has remained frozen for a second year in a row.

Despite critics trying to paint him in a negative light, Boris begins his re-election bid with a 55% approval rating. According to City Hall internal polling, only 15% of Londoners are dissatisfied with the Mayor.

While those are strong numbers, it would be wrong to assume that a second Conservative victory is a forgone conclusion and Australian election guru Lynton Crosby as campaign manager will certainly be preaching against complacency. If the general election this year taught us anything, it is that nothing can be taken for granted in the world of politics.

Opponents won’t make the mistake of underestimating Boris this time around. The Mayor’s record and enthusiasm for the job are evident and will prove effective weapons in his campaign arsenal.

Bethany has previously worked on presidential, state and local campaigns in the US as well as working for Boris Johnson’s mayoral campaign in 2008. She blogs for Total Politics about public affairs, the London mayoralty and American politics