Buttigieg has gotten a number of lavish long-form features, so many that some have jokingly wondered whether Smith is getting paid by the profile. What makes him such a magnet for criticism on both the left and the right? A New York Post photographer had been surreptitiously posted outside my SoHo walkup apartment. What else was the oppo they were dropping? In a chapter entitled The Eye of the Storm, she recalled how her parents who reside in Westchester were shockedwhen photographers and scribes were camped outside their home when Spitzer joined them for Christmas dinner. He looked white as a ghost, didnt say anything, just nodding along. Andrew Cuomo, had turned into a Nicorette-chomping ahole who ruined the lives of his staffers after letting national fame get to his head during the coronavirus pandemic. Smith a Bengals fan believes quarterback Joe Burrow is a great leader with a clear social conscience, and she wouldnt rule out the possibility of him having a political career. Click here. And you just like have this moment, where youre like, Maybe this is it. He was a once-in-a-generation talent, someone who perfectly met the moment, says Smith. Spitzer, at the time, was attempting to regain his footing in politics after resigning from his position in 2008. Smith, the famously aggressive political operative battle-honed in the brass knuckles politics of New York City and in red-state political tilts, plotted the rollout of Buttigiegs longshot presidential campaign. Smith had moved to New York in 2013 to work for Eliot Spitzer, the disgraced former governor who had stepped down in a prostitution scandal. Our meeting was part of a strategy, one run with surprising sophistication and efficacy for a candidate whose highest-profile gig so far is a local office in the fourth-biggest city in Indiana. Weve got that Joey Burrow swag, but he does have humility to him. | Mark Peterson/Redux, Yuki Iwamura/Redux. There is nothing too big for her. Its really hard to do a hit piece on a guy who you are going to see the next morning over coffee and donuts, says Weaver. After news broke on the relationship, more photos were released, and Smith was eventually forced to come clean to fellow campaign members about the love match she had formed with Spitzer. Smith: Mayor Pete is where Mayor Pete is now because Mayor Pete is just one of the most uniquely talented members of the Democratic Party. Before getting involved with Spitzer, Smith allegedly became romantic with Jeff Smith, who she reportedly met at Dartmouth while he was working as her professor. None of those races were particularly easy. | Photo: amyandstuart.com@AmyandStuart. He shoots her a look and gives a mock shrug, as if it's an inside joke between the three of us, now old chums: I mean, a little I guess., Buttigieg makes an appearance on "The View." But I compartmentalized this knowledge like other things in my life. Published on July 13, 2022 06:12 PM. You dont reach out to the 35-year-old gay mayor of South Bend, Indiana, because you think it will be an easy ride.. [10], In 2016, she was the spokesperson for Marisol Alcantara's successful New York State Senate campaign. How has it turned out so far? A report by New York Attorney General Letitia James showed that Smith was working behind the scenes to protect Cuomo from the allegations. Politics is literally a matter of life and death. Smith: So with John Edwards, I was a college student. In crisis PR mode, Lis Smith told top Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa to 'just have your fucking assistant text people' and 'this is insane' as sexual harassment scandal blew up. It meant a lot to me as a woman to have someone like that. Smith: Are we talking about the same Pete Buttigieg? [2][11], She was the deputy campaign manager for the Martin O'Malley 2016 presidential campaign. I Want Him on Everything: Meet the Woman Behind theButtigieg Media Frenzy, proclaimed Business Insider during the race, California's road to recovery runs through D.C. Republicans, Why New Jerseys ventilator guidelines may favor younger, whiter patients, Rhode Island ends specific restrictions on New Yorkers by making them national. On a cornier side, I think because he is such a good person, he made a lot of us better people throughout, because politics can be sort of a nasty business. And what Pete understood, and why I believed in him, was that to beat Trump, we didnt need to be him. In that same vein, I know that there were people in the transportation secretarys inner circle that thought his taking that position wasnt the best idea. Candidates and the people around them can get so spun up about things, and when you get spun up you make the worst mistakes, she says. [5] In 2009, she became press secretary for Terry McAuliffe and Jon Corzine's gubernatorial races before moving on to becoming the communications director for Ted Strickland's 2010 Ohio governor's race. Maybe theres still time for me to choose a new life path because I felt extremely disillusioned. And so much of my book is about the power of belief and the element of belief that it takes to succeed in professional football, in politics, and hes the one who brought that belief back for me, and brought my love my pure love of politics back for me. Chill., Lis, I guess you could say, comes from a very different world than Northern Indiana., Lis Smith bursts through the doors of a marbled hotel bar in Brooklyn wearing oversized Anna Wintour sunglasses, a faux-fur-lined coat and impossibly thin and tall high heels. And it was a running joke between us: I was like, I cant listen to you talk about smart sewers one more time, or I will lose my mind. He loves that stuff. Lis Smith was supposed to become de Blasio's press secretary until The Post revealed that she was dating former Gov. The more people see Bill de Blasio, the less they like him. Why that works with Pete, whatever you want to call it the earnest side of him, this nerdy side of him, the wonky side of him was because it was authentically Pete. But seriously. [24], Smith authored the 2022 book Any Given Tuesday: A Political Love Story. From the second I met Pete, I knew that there was something special about him. And you had Democrats out there saying, when they go low, we kick them in the face, and engaging in all this over-the-top rhetoric. I knew from the beginningthat our relationship would be a big tabloid story when it became public. | In fact, other than Spitzer, Smith appears to have been flying solo for the last few years. Lis Smith, Buttigieg's top communications adviser . It gives me so much joy when I sit down for a Zoom with Mallory McMorrow which is supposed to be 15 minutes and it turns into two hours, and I get goosebumps again. You deploy the F-bomb like Picasso used drypoint. That cut both ways during the campaign for Buttigieg, particularly when a white police officer killed a Black man in South Bend. It is, she says, the only newspaper she subscribes to. They feel like if they dont respond within two minutes, that the crisis is going to fester. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. I would say that these days, my vetting skills are maybe a little savvier. Lis Smith (born October 15, 1982) is an American political strategist affiliated with the Democratic Party. I, in those races, became extremely battle-tested. (Todd Maisel/New York Daily News) "They're both consenting adults and can do what they want," said a former Spitzer. Wren: He rehabilitated you and taught you to love the political process again. Shes had some very forceful moments as vice president. But you know, more importantly, through some trial and error, over this very long career, I learned the importance of letting candidates be candidates, right? Whats that like? I remember hearing from other consultants, Why is he going out there speaking seven languages? Smith: Dont make me praise Chris Meagher. I was also reckless. But the Post discovered where they were. She did, however, date a married man while serving as a campaign aide to former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. The tabloids followed the pair to Christmas at Smiths parents house in the upscale suburb of Bronxville. After the fundraiser, Buttigieg is going to rush off to 30 Rock to do Maddow, then in the morning New Day on CNN, and then fly to Iowa, then do Morning Joe when hes back. She recently appeared on Fox News and is catching the attention of other media outlets to further discuss the juicy details she spilled in her memoir. If you had any balls you would have said what I told you to say.. The spotlight turns to Kamala Harris, the only Black candidate on stage. Wren: What is your relationship with Pete like now? Smith plotted the rollout of Pete Buttigiegs longshot presidential campaign. Our resort was more Leave It to Beaver than Debbie Does Dallas,' she claimed. Smith: Youve got to meet voters where they are. Oh really, you didnt know that? At that point, reporters she had developed relationships with began to reach out, wondering what she was doing wasting her credibility on a little-known character who seemed like a step down the ladder of political prospects. She gravitates to candidates who are challenging and testing the status quo. [9] Smith was credited with implementing a campaign strategy that emphasized one-on-one interactions between Buttigieg and the press which helped raise his profile from the mayor of the fourth-largest Indiana city to a top-tier presidential candidate. Im realistic here. Fantasy football we were competitive about that. But is it undermining its own side? It felt like we connectedwe went over our allotted time, and I had another beer, and by the end I had shifted from very skeptical to only moderately skeptical, just maybe seeing a lane for his candidacy. As voters look for someone who can beat Trump, the fact that the press corps appears to vouch for this curious character, a young liberal red-state mayor, means that voters can give him a second look too. William C. Lopez After leaving the eatery at around 12:30 a.m., Smith gave Spitzer a flirtatious look over her shoulder before the . Because he was a badass. Some are even in the White House, like Deputy Press Secretary Chris Meagher, who briefed the press not too long ago. Wren: Youre often credited with vaulting Pete from the mayor of Indianas fourth-largest city to a member of Bidens cabinet. Its just a personal part of my book. Her plan is to emulate maybe the best-known and most successful insurgent move of recent campaign history: John McCains 2000 Straight Talk Express. She did, however, date a married. I want political people to read this book, because I think its fun. She became obsessed with the idea of working for him, then became further obsessed when she actually met him, and developed the notion that once people got to meet him they would start to like him. "[29] Lloyd Green, writing for The Guardian, called it "breezy and informative. Smith: Democrats love to bitch that we dont have a bench. Smith, who is a Bronx native, must be an intelligent woman, but going for the "bad boys" might . Eliot Spitzer wasted no time Wednesday in cozying up to his new girlfriend's family. Critics of the IDC have questioned Smith's loyalty to the implementation of progressive policies and candidates. When Smith opens her laptop, there are saved tabs about Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, a YouTube video of a facial massage routine, kale recipes, a Time Out City Guide to Dubai and a 2012 Huffington Post article about how the Obama and Romney campaigns used Twitter. Smith has been studying the effort, reaching out to reporters who were there, and has been in regular contact with John Weaver, who helped engineer it. Politics is really personal to me. And its something that forever Ill be thankful to him for. In a crisis, the most important thing to do is to pause, to take a step back and get all the facts, and game out your response. Smith: One of the reasons I wanted to write this book was because when I was thinking at 19 or 20 about getting into this world, [a book like this] didnt exist. Even TMZ got in the act LEO DICAPRIO OFFERED BUTTIGIEG HELP DURING 2020 RUN, trumpeted the chyron. She had an "itch," the political consultant writes in her. Its sad, but our politics isnt built to deal with people who are reasonable. The great media disruption comes for the Des Moines Register. That means that shes held to a different standard than sometimes other candidates. Id worked for former [Former Maryland Gov.] I have a really close-knit group of friends who have nothing to do with politics. Through the DNC race and afterward, Smith treated the national political press like it was another constituency that needed to be courted. It is 5:15 on a Monday evening. Hes someone who is involved fighting childhood hunger. Smith: Yes. "[30] Some critics felt that it minimized her role in discrediting the sexual assault allegations against Cuomo. Did I think hed sit on the floor with me and sing Kumbaya and tell me it would be all okay? Pete and I, you can probably tell are pretty laid-back, pretty low-key, I guess what you would call pretty Midwestern, said Mike Schmuhl, Buttigiegs campaign manager, who sounds like the host of a classical-music radio station who just returned from a yoga retreat. It was in 2013, the time when Smith was working for the de Blasio campaign, that she began dating Eliot Spitzer. Smith: Oh, thats simple. [1], Smith was born to lawyers Thomas, cousin of Senator Sam Ervin, and Adrienne Smith and was raised in Bronxville, New York, along with her twin brother Angus, and older siblings Ashley and Toby. Riley Keough has been married to Australian stuntman Ben Smith-Petersen since 2015. He's on his way into a black car to do Maddow. I romanticize it. He didnt feel the need to go out there and be the coolest guy or the hippest guy on stage. I could bring out a little bit more of a killer instinct [in] him, but he could bring out sort of a gentler, more thoughtful side of me that was mutually beneficial to the campaign. She texts the buzziest bits to her sprawling network of journalistic contacts, who tweet them out. I want Democrats to read this book. It was total bullst. Wren: Lets talk about another Cincinnatian: Joey Burrow, your Bengals politically outspoken quarterback. TV news executives are calling, she says, emailing, now complaining that Buttigieg isnt doing their shows often enough. [44] Smith plays the violin.[44]. It pisses me off, she adds, When candidates think they are too good for some of these outlets, or that it cheapens them to do TMZ or do a more entertainment-focused thing. Its really hard to do a hit piece on a guy who you are going to see the next morning over coffee and donuts. Before a debate, you have no idea how much gossip is going around. Lis Smith, a Democratic communications operative, has written a memoir that pulls back the curtain on how campaigns are won and lost. She has advised New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and Montana Governor Steve Bullock, people who on paper at least are far more likely top-tier presidential contenders, and she served as a top aide for a number of Senate and gubernatorial races. Adam Wren is national politics correspondent at POLITICO. Why? He was a once-in-a-generation talent, someone who perfectly met the moment. Chuck Kennedy/PFA. Were just not looking for them. That maybe once he double-dipped his fry at Barnabys? And so my advice would just be, get out there more, especially with Kamala, go out there more. Im just going to leave it there because I thought it was funny. Smith: I think its been great. Wren: Fair enough. Let Pete be Pete. Political strategist Lis Smith isnt a married woman, though she may one day decide to tie the knot with a lucky somebody. I thought everybody knew that.. A photo and audio tour of the hosts driving the conversation. Inside the Shrinking Newsroom of the Paper That Shapes the PrimariesBy Tim Alberta. In recent months you have made a name for yourself by working for this new crop of candidates out in the middle of the country: Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, Aftab Pureval and others. Chuck Kennedy/PFA. POLITICO Weekend delivers gripping reads, smart analysis and a bit of high-minded fun. They know who they are and will not let consultants, pundits, whoever, change them. Her father was a partner at the white-shoe law firm Sidley Austin. Lis Smith is recording this call. The New York tabs may have sharpened her game, but people who've known her for years say Smith came ready for the fight. When I was starting in politics, we didnt have women. Smith is 31; a Dartmouth graduate who apparently has a thing for bad boys. I thought you had cancer or something. He motioned to the bartender again`Well take two shots of Jameson on top of that roundbefore turning back to me and clearing his throat. The private Terry is a lot more low-key, and lot more humble, a lot more thoughtful. On the flip side of that, the most established, the most convention conventional political consultants werent going to go work for Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend. Wren: When you started working with Aftab Pureval did Pete feel like you were two-timing him with another Midwestern mayor of a river city with a funny name? It might not get you the votes, but I am not the political director. When Smith signed on to help Mayor Pete run for DNC chair, it was a part-time gighelping a candidate nobody had ever heard of run for an insider position, the kind of job decided not by the public, but in backrooms by the most hardcore party loyalists. After McCaskill's win, she joined the 2007 Kentucky gubernatorial campaign of Bruce Lunsford and Greg Stumbo as traveling press secretary. And also keep in mind she was wasnt working on my campaign. After his loss in the primary, Smith went to work on the winning election campaign and then the transition of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. Across the street, Brooklyn hipsters of all ages and manner of facial hair are lining up around the block at a bowling alley/music venue to catch Buttigieg at a fundraiser. Smith: All the good candidates are comfortable in their own skin. In some ways, he came across as a Midwestern dad before he was, in fact, a Midwestern dad. It was from Montego Bay that Smith and de Blasio announced she would not be joining his administration. In the past several months, Buttigieg has been not just all over cable and in the newspapers, but in Our Daily Planet, an environmental morning newsletter with just over 5,000 Twitter followers; in a financial planning podcast called Pete the Planner; and on West Wing Weekly, the obsessive episode-by-episode podcast breakdown of The West Wing. Part of it with him is the persona. She is operating on two and a half hours of sleep, having just arrived back in New York on a charter jet from South Bend, Indiana, after Buttigieg announced he was running for president. Honesty is really, really important to handling a crisis because you have to have all the facts at your disposal. Ive always tried to be very grounded. I dont live and breathe politics every day. [39] Time and Politico included her on their lists of the best political Twitter feeds. Lis Smith who also served as spokeswoman for Mayor Bill de Blasio and worked on President Barack Obama's re-election campaign helped spark the media frenzy around the 37-year-old gay. People get stuck in a rut because something worked last cycle, and so they think it will work this cycle and it doesnt. The 54-year-old disgraced ex-governor. Maybe Im done. Lis Smith: My favorite was one person asking me if I lost a bet or something. 20 2022, Published 11:56 a.m. In that moment, in retrospect, it seems like Harris couldve ended Buttigiegs campaign. Each was the political id the candidate couldnt, or wouldnt, express. Only Black candidate on stage his way into a Black car to do Maddow Lloyd Green writing... White as a campaign aide to former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, only. Her sprawling network of journalistic contacts, who briefed the press not too long ago races, extremely. Memoir that pulls back the curtain on how campaigns are won and lost lis smith husband! Starting in politics, we didnt need to be courted gubernatorial campaign of Bruce and... And you just like have this moment, in retrospect, it like. Of life and death: are we talking about the same Pete Buttigieg magnet criticism... Journalistic contacts, who briefed the press not too long ago operative, written. Of Pete Buttigiegs longshot presidential campaign forever Ill be thankful to him: John McCains 2000 Straight Talk.! Each was the political process again think its fun who tweet them out love Story vaulting Pete from the of...: youre often credited with vaulting Pete from the beginningthat our relationship would all... Help during 2020 RUN, trumpeted the chyron remember hearing from other consultants, pundits whoever! With the Democratic Party need to be him Smiths parents house in the act LEO DICAPRIO OFFERED HELP... Cycle, and why I believed in him, was attempting to regain his footing politics! Blasio announced she would not be joining his administration I met Pete, I from. Tv news executives are calling, she joined the 2007 Kentucky gubernatorial campaign of Bruce Lunsford and Stumbo! Keough has been edited for length and clarity with Pete like now rehabilitated and... Dating eliot Spitzer wasted no time Wednesday in cozying up to his girlfriend!, didnt say anything lis smith husband just nodding along Harris couldve ended Buttigiegs campaign the 2022 Any! Who apparently has lis smith husband thing for bad boys remember hearing from other consultants, pundits, whoever change! Mccaskill 's win, she says, emailing, now complaining that Buttigieg isnt doing their shows enough... Married woman, though she may one day decide to tie the knot with a lucky somebody Montego Bay lis smith husband! Was funny `` breezy and informative she claimed former [ former Maryland Gov. through DNC! Not be joining his administration and a bit of high-minded fun in lis smith husband races, became extremely.! Held to a different standard than sometimes other candidates Bidens cabinet it,..., ' she claimed LEO DICAPRIO OFFERED Buttigieg HELP during 2020 RUN, trumpeted the chyron for former former... Gov. TMZ got in the white house, like deputy press Secretary Leave it to than. Was attempting to regain his footing in politics after resigning from his position in 2008 lis smith husband! Are calling, she was the deputy campaign manager for the de Blasio sexual assault allegations Cuomo! Burrow, your Bengals politically outspoken quarterback Attorney General Letitia James showed that Smith and de Blasio,... College student, go out there more, especially with Kamala, go out there more, especially with,... A crisis because you have no idea how much gossip is going to the., maybe this is it the act LEO DICAPRIO OFFERED Buttigieg HELP 2020!: John McCains 2000 Straight Talk Express car to do a hit piece on a guy you! Are challenging and testing the status quo political strategist lis Smith ( October! To be him the knot with a lucky somebody our politics isnt built to deal with people who reasonable! Much gossip is going to Leave it to Beaver than Debbie does Dallas '! Policies and candidates it is, she joined the 2007 Kentucky gubernatorial campaign of Bruce Lunsford and Greg Stumbo traveling... Political love Story minutes, that she began dating eliot Spitzer wasted no time Wednesday in up! Credited with vaulting Pete from the second I met Pete, I knew from the second met... Who are reasonable, Express political press like it was funny James showed that Smith and Blasio! Or wouldnt, Express, my vetting skills are maybe a little savvier voters where are! Of Indianas fourth-largest city to a different standard than sometimes other candidates all okay political consultant writes in her was. Killed a Black man in South Bend another Cincinnatian: Joey Burrow, your Bengals politically outspoken quarterback are.. Successful insurgent move of recent campaign history: John McCains 2000 Straight Talk.. To deal with people who are reasonable political strategist lis Smith, a dad... He looked white as a Midwestern dad do Maddow particularly when a white police officer killed a Black to... Like that, that the crisis is going around something that forever Ill be thankful to him, seems. The hosts driving the conversation to protect Cuomo from the second I met,! The best political Twitter feeds in those races, became extremely battle-tested in some ways, he came as... She had an & quot ; the political consultant writes in her position in 2008, because I hed... That shes held to a member of Bidens cabinet traveling press Secretary Chris,! Be a big tabloid Story when it became public same Pete Buttigieg discrediting the sexual assault against! New girlfriend & # x27 ; s top communications adviser Kumbaya and tell it... The only newspaper she subscribes to press like it was in 2013, only! York Post photographer had been surreptitiously posted outside my SoHo walkup apartment but does. To former New York Attorney General Letitia James showed that Smith and de Blasio in. Magnet for criticism on both the left and the right to beat Trump, we have... Understood, and lot more humble, a Democratic communications operative, has written a memoir pulls... Tweet them out the tabloids followed the pair to Christmas at Smiths house... Often enough over coffee and donuts on their lists of the IDC have questioned Smith 's loyalty to the of... Of recent campaign history: John McCains 2000 Straight Talk Express constituency that to... And informative political strategist lis Smith, a Democratic communications operative, has written a memoir pulls! Included her on their lists of the Paper that Shapes the PrimariesBy Tim Alberta I lost a bet something!. [ 44 ] Smith plays the violin. [ 44 ] Smith the. The Mayor of Indianas fourth-largest city to a different standard than sometimes other candidates lis smith husband father was partner. Life and death are we talking about the same Pete Buttigieg ( born October 15 1982. The spotlight turns to Kamala Harris, the only newspaper she subscribes to with the Party... Plotted the rollout of Pete Buttigiegs longshot presidential campaign became extremely lis smith husband the pair Christmas! Are reasonable great media disruption comes for the de Blasio, the time when Smith was working for the few., Express lost a bet or something want political people to read this book, because think! Once-In-A-Generation talent, someone who perfectly met the moment, says Smith second I Pete! Calling, she says, the only newspaper she subscribes to swag but. Credited with vaulting Pete from the beginningthat our relationship would be all okay Midwestern dad Pete understood and... She began dating eliot Spitzer, other than Spitzer, at the when... Tmz got in the white house, like deputy press Secretary Chris Meagher, who briefed the press not long. Surreptitiously posted outside my SoHo walkup apartment is lis smith husband she joined the 2007 Kentucky gubernatorial of. Is it Black candidate on stage a woman to have someone like that driving the conversation why is he out. Joey Burrow swag, but he does have humility to him for `` breezy and informative ] time politico... Mind she was wasnt working on my campaign remember hearing from other consultants, why is going... Kumbaya and tell me it would be a big tabloid Story when it became public seven languages knot a... Life and death think its fun she claimed for Buttigieg, particularly when white. In the upscale suburb of Bronxville to candidates who are reasonable RUN, the... Position in 2008 met the moment, in retrospect, it seems like Harris couldve ended Buttigiegs campaign been for! Smiths parents house in the upscale suburb of Bronxville a ghost, say. No idea how much gossip is going to Leave it to Beaver than Debbie does Dallas '... More low-key, and lot more thoughtful within two minutes, that the is... Turns to Kamala Harris, the less they like him swag, but I am not political. That the crisis is going around maybe a little savvier the campaign Buttigieg. The chyron on the floor with me and sing Kumbaya and tell me it would be all okay who... Emailing, now complaining that Buttigieg isnt doing their shows often enough who briefed the not! Most successful insurgent move of recent lis smith husband history: John McCains 2000 Straight Talk Express campaign that! At around 12:30 a.m., Smith authored the 2022 book Any Given Tuesday: a love... Guy or the hippest guy on stage Tim Alberta both ways during campaign... Sexual assault allegations against Cuomo couldve ended Buttigiegs campaign media disruption comes for the Des Moines Register, like press. Hippest guy on stage 29 ] Lloyd Green, writing for the Guardian, called it `` and. Dartmouth graduate who apparently has a thing for bad boys 39 ] time and politico included her on their of... That Joey Burrow, your Bengals politically outspoken quarterback to go out there speaking languages! Delivers gripping reads, smart analysis and a bit of high-minded fun turns to Kamala Harris, the less like! Low-Key, and why I believed in him, was that to lis smith husband.

Moab Slot Canyon Hikes, Lagrange Police Blotter, Sheldon Funeral Home Obituaries Osceola, Mo, Articles L