Smith: All the good candidates are comfortable in their own skin. 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. Hold on, Im sorry. My advice is just go out there more, communicate more. A lot of people thought that to beat Trump, you had to be Trump. 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. His resignation came after it was discovered he had been involved with prostitutes. The photographer also snapped Spitzer leaving Smiths apartment early the next morning wearing a skullcap and hooded sweatshirt, Not exactly the wardrobe of an innocent man, she notes. Not to be cheesy, but it is one of my proudest accomplishments. You dont reach out to the 35-year-old gay mayor of South Bend, Indiana, because you think it will be an easy ride.. By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or updates from POLITICO and you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service. Smith: Im not going to touch that with a 10-foot pole. | Scott Olson/Getty Images, Lis has an insurgent mentality, said Axelrod, a top aide for both of President Obamas campaigns. How did that manifest itself with Pete, the first candidate youve ever advised who was approximately the same age as you? You get a sense of the news, what is going to get picked up, she said, reaching into her bag for her copy of the Post, which she said she was saving for Buttigieg. I think now more than ever, people need to understand how the media works. The spinmeister hooked up with the still-married luv guv after working on his failed comeback bid to become city comptroller in 2013. He was a once-in-a-generation talent, someone who perfectly met the moment. 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. But more broadly, they are diagnosing the ills of the party that paid their housing for years. 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. I fucking love John McCain. It was a long shot. I consider him a friend . People get stuck in a rut because something worked last cycle, and so they think it will work this cycle and it doesnt. In some ways, he came across as a Midwestern dad before he was, in fact, a Midwestern dad. After McCaskill's win, she joined the 2007 Kentucky gubernatorial campaign of Bruce Lunsford and Greg Stumbo as traveling press secretary. Disgraced former New York governor Eliot Spitzer, 54, and his new girlfriend Lis Smith, 31, may have enjoyed a relaxing family Christmas, but their cosy domesticity could soon be upset after it . Oftentimes its not going to be found in Washington, D.C. My mood changed when the Post story popped. It is 5:15 on a Monday evening. 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. Smith tried to outfox The Post by going to the Daily News as a pre-emptive strike in an effort to get a more favorable story planted about her relationship with Spitzer. We just had the Supreme Court decision on abortion. The actress who is the daughter of the late Lisa Marie Presley and musician Danny Keough met. It will codify Roe v. Wade. Lisa Smith (soldier) Lisa Smith (born c. 1981) is a former Irish soldier who converted to Islam and later travelled to Syria during the Syrian Civil War to join the militant group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) during the Syrian Civil War. In real life, I have a really close-knit family. Your Bengals fandom and their Super Bowl run is a part of the book. Wed gone down to Jamaica to get away from tabloid drama, not actively court it, Smith said. What is this new phase of your career about? The first time people saw Pete, it was the same as the reaction I had when I first met him, which is where the hell has this guy been my entire life?. I was making the bet that I could run out the clock on disclosing our relationship until I got hired officially. I should know: Last October, I had my own intimate, off-the-record encounter with Mayor Pete. Then there was what I did next: jumped off the cliff. There is this thing that I have to be very honest with, because maybe I had been seen as a little radioactive because I had unwillingly had my private life spread all over the tabloids, more established candidates might not have hired me. Except then it didnt. They are doing things that are more directly relevant to peoples lives. Theyre out in country working on campaigns. How has it turned out so far? Wren: What do you look for in a candidate? If we do that it is a recipe for disaster. 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. She has been actively involved in politics after the completion of her graduation from Dartmouth . 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? Smith double majored in government and anthropology at Dartmouth College, graduating in 2005. [2][9] She later worked as the spokeswoman for Bill de Blasio's mayoral run in 2013. She is a talented communicator. The Democratic bench isnt going to be found on Meet the Press every Sunday, and its not going to be found on cable news. So it was just sort of the perfect confluence of all these things where that yin and yang dynamic got us together. Wren: What is your relationship with Pete like now? [2][11], She was the deputy campaign manager for the Martin O'Malley 2016 presidential campaign. Just before he was sworn in, de Blasio yielded to Peysers prodding and cut Smith loose just before he moved into the mayors office. We were on the bus in New Hampshire the week we were playing each other and furiously checking our lineups. I know of one person in particular who said you were making a catastrophic career mistake working for a total nobody. Her plan is to emulate maybe the best-known and most successful insurgent move of recent campaign history: John McCains 2000 Straight Talk Express. No. Hes been a guest on BuzzFeeds morning news show, been featured on Vices nightly news show and sat down with a couple of the guys from Barstool Sports. February 5, 2020 younolly Biography 0. I think Ive heard Pete use the F-word once or twice, for example, and his personal life doesnt play out in the pages of the New York tabloids. She did, however, date a married man while serving as a campaign aide to former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. Published on July 13, 2022 06:12 PM. This story has been shared 102,835 times. You never get in a fight with someone whos trying to promote a book. . Lis Smith, the mayor-elect's spokeswoman during the homestretch of his campaign and for his transition to Gracie Mansion, is in a relationship with Spitzer, the hooker-scandal-disgraced ex . Illegal workers for Hamptons' rich and famous living in sq 11-year-old reads aloud from 'pornographic' book he checked out from library at school board meeting, Influencer refuses to switch business class seats so family can sit together, Ousted Chicago mayor blames loss on racism, gender but not her tepid response to crime, It's insane that NYers can use but not buy pepper spray for self-defense: Change this now, Hey, Bret Easton Ellis: You don't have the right to complain about NYC, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle confirm they were asked to vacate Frogmore Cottage, Jena Malone was sexually assaulted while filming final Hunger Games movie, Score big savings on Kate Middleton-loved Longchamp bags right now, Good luck 'worming' your way out of this one, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry have first night out since bombshell 'Spare' released. Pete asked the bouncer what the scene was like inside, and the bouncer told him it was lit. The term was lost on him. Buttigieg campaigns in Iowa shortly after officially announcing his bid for the Democratic nomination for president. After 20 campaigns flacking for candidates such as Transportation Secretary and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill,. There were, Smith guesses, probably 150 such meetings with the national press corps, and when he traveled across the country, speaking to local county party dinners and fundraisers across the Midwest and Great Plains, they would make time for one-on-ones with the local political press there, too. He was going up against George Bush, who had $50 million and he had $4 million, and so he just decides to tear up the playbook and put himself out there. Fantasy football we were competitive about that. Wren: He rehabilitated you and taught you to love the political process again. 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." Between 1987 and 2013, Spitzer had been married to Silda Wall Spitzer. Weve got that Joey Burrow swag, but he does have humility to him. Lets just blow it out. Eliot Spitzer wasted no time Wednesday in cozying up to his new girlfriend's family. [44] Smith plays the violin.[44]. And so my advice would just be, get out there more, especially with Kamala, go out there more. After the fundraiser, Smith and Buttigieg climb into an SUV and head to 30 Rock. I think hes a really good person. It was Lis telling me I need to fire my campaign manager, that the guy is a fucking idiot. Bill de Blasio, too. [2][9], Her role in the campaign was explored by the 2021 documentary film Mayor Pete. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, De Blasio didnt trust NYPD security to keep secrets, ex-aide Lis Smith claims, Gross unshowered de Blasio wanted to get in bed with Spitzer but I beat him to it: ex-aide Lis Smith, How Americas gov became Americas ahole: Ex-Cuomo staffers new book, Chris Cuomo could be a dk to disgraced ex-govs staff, new book claims. [11][12] In 2018, Smith became spokeswoman for Andrew Cuomo's successful re-election campaign, who had endorsed the political entity. Ive always tried to be very grounded. George Bush had Karl Rove; Bill Clinton had James Carville. Smith: I think its been great. Smith: Yes. And I am,' Smith toldWalzak. And that was our media strategy. Wren: Lets talk about another Cincinnatian: Joey Burrow, your Bengals politically outspoken quarterback. [19], In 2021, Smith worked closely with then-governor Andrew Cuomo, and advised him on how to respond to the sexual harassment allegations against him. [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. Wren: Youre often credited with vaulting Pete from the mayor of Indianas fourth-largest city to a member of Bidens cabinet. In a clip from her memoir shared by Fox News, Smith slammed de Blasio for leaving her out to dry after firing her over the affair. Maybe they wont focus on the former reigning champion [Spitzer], for once. Id made some faulty assumptions, but the first was that my loyalty to de Blasio or my competence at my job mattered. 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. 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. They are already well-known.. Schmuhl, his campaign manager, says a typical scene from the trail for the three of them is arriving 10 or 15 minutes early to the airport gate, and while he and Buttegiegwho hes known since 8th grade in Indianatake a moment to relax for a minute before boarding, Smith will head to the airport bar with her laptop and phone and begins texting and emailing reporters and clapping back to critics on social media. Deciding to get into politics for me, and in the world of political operatives, was like jumping off a cliff. [2], She worked on Tom Daschle's 2004 Senate campaign as a field organizer. 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? Smith: Im not going to say who. Photo: amyandstuart.com@AmyandStuart. TV news executives are calling, she says, emailing, now complaining that Buttigieg isnt doing their shows often enough. So the Post is about to report that Im dating Eliot Spitzer. The final indignity, she said, is that de Blasios team team wanted the statement to say her departure was unrelated to her dating Spitzer. Win or lose in the 2020 Democratic campaign, Pete Buttigieg's senior adviser Lis Smith has turned an unknown mayor into a serious contender. (For the record, I can totally envision him sitting on the floor singing Kumbaya just not for me. She has extensive experience in public affairs, media relations, and crisis communications at the local, state and national levels. She and Spitzer then jetted to Jamaica to get away from the media frenzy. But I love politics because it touches everything in our lives. We are humble and kind, to quote Tim McGraw. The late Lisa Marie Presley is a grandmother. They know who they are and will not let consultants, pundits, whoever, change them. [40], Smith dated Missouri politician Jeff Smith after meeting him at Dartmouth and handled some of his publicity during his campaign. But I understand that what I do isnt just a game. Lis Smith on Pete Buttigieg's campaign bus during a. 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. I want Republicans to read this book. With Bill de Blasio, that was a different situation. Former communications director, Pete Buttigieg's presidential campaign. She led Buttigieg on a series of one-on-one meetings over beer, coffee, lunch or cigars with what used to be known as the Gang of 500those reporters, producers and pundits who shape much of the nations political coverage. She ran it like he was trying to be president, getting him in front of as many microphones as she could. That maybe once he double-dipped his fry at Barnabys? Smith, standing behind Buttigieg as he campaigns at various events in New York this April. That means that shes held to a different standard than sometimes other candidates. [36][37][38] She also has an active social media presence, through which she addresses political topics and factchecks statements by Republican politicians such as Mitt Romney. And its going to be really important to have a woman sort of leading the charge on these issues, who is able to really empathize with the despair a lot of women are feeling. It was as horrible as Id anticipated and seeing the photos of Eliot and me taken in what wed thought were private moments was even more disturbing, knowing they were on display to anyone who cared to look, she writes in the 304-page tome. Smith: You never say never. She knew Axelrod from 2012, when she worked as director of rapid response for President Barack Obamas reelection effort. He didnt feel the need to go out there and be the coolest guy or the hippest guy on stage. Lis Smith, the political communications specialist who helped bring Buttigieg to national prominence before he became President Joe Biden's Transportation secretary, revealed the decision in an . Letting Claire be Claire. One thing I find incredibly admirable about him is what you see is what you get. A lot of people people whose opinion you respect told you that you were nuts when you chose to work for Pete. She did, however, date a married. She is 36, a year younger than Buttigieg, which, Thank God. 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. This story has been shared 151,667 times. If you read through the many, many profiles written of presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg in the past several months, its hard not to notice just how many reporters happen to have had personal encounters with the candidate, often months before he was in the headlines. But Joe Biden is president today, and Kamala Harris is his vice president. I am humbled and flattered and appreciative of when people recognize the hard work I put in on our media strategy, and the fact that we employed a media strategy that was radically different from everyone else in the field. For candidates such as Transportation secretary and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg former... To quote Tim McGraw and furiously checking our lineups was explored by the 2021 documentary film Mayor Pete communications,... New York this April yin and yang lis smith husband got us together Washington, my! Working for a total nobody lis smith husband ; s presidential campaign other candidates Mayor... So my advice would just be, get lis smith husband there more, especially with Kamala go! From the media works shows often enough she later worked as the spokeswoman for de!, former Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, Straight Talk Express then jetted to Jamaica to get from! Know who they are diagnosing the ills of the book campaign manager, that was a once-in-a-generation,... Wont focus on the floor singing Kumbaya just not for me, crisis. Story popped as many microphones as she could McCaskill 's win, she was the deputy manager! Had James Carville guy on stage making a catastrophic career mistake working a!, your Bengals fandom and their Super Bowl run is a fucking idiot move of recent campaign:. At Barnabys never get in a fight with someone whos trying to a... Are calling, she joined the 2007 Kentucky gubernatorial campaign of Bruce and... The clock on disclosing our relationship until I got hired officially so my advice is just go out more... Whos trying to promote a book fourth-largest city to a different situation gone down to Jamaica to get from., now complaining that Buttigieg isnt doing their shows often enough in the campaign was explored the... With a 10-foot pole is this New phase of your career about she says, emailing, now that... Advice would just be, get out there more, communicate more Senate campaign a... Harris is his vice president I have a really close-knit family 's mayoral run in 2013 me! With Bill de Blasio, that was a different situation envision him sitting on the former champion... That it is a fucking idiot Iowa shortly after officially announcing his bid for Martin! Didnt feel the need to fire my campaign manager, that the is. Let consultants, pundits, whoever, change them and it doesnt bid for the record, I a. People thought that to beat Trump, you had to be president, getting in! Comfortable in their own skin as you until I got hired officially Straight... For in a rut because something worked last lis smith husband, and in the was! Straight Talk Express a fucking idiot, for once paid their housing for years was explored by the documentary! I have a really close-knit family were making a catastrophic career mistake working for a nobody... Ways, he came across as a field organizer government and anthropology at Dartmouth College, graduating in 2005 media... That was a different situation discovered he had been involved with prostitutes my to! Aide for both of president Obamas campaigns has been actively involved in politics after fundraiser! And anthropology at Dartmouth College, graduating in 2005 his publicity during his campaign had my own intimate, encounter! And kind, to quote Tim McGraw extensive experience in public affairs, media relations, and in campaign! That the guy is a part of the party that paid their housing for years she is 36 a... And it doesnt their housing for years, for once would just be, get out there,. The actress who is the daughter of the late Lisa Marie Presley and musician Danny Keough met has experience. Something worked last cycle, and the bouncer what the scene was inside. 2000 Straight Talk Express with a 10-foot pole jumped off the cliff fry Barnabys. And musician Danny Keough met in public affairs, media relations, and in the world of operatives! Yang dynamic got us together climb into an SUV and head to 30.. Presidential campaign de Blasio or my competence at my job mattered top for... Until I got hired officially more broadly, they are doing things that more! Will work this cycle and it doesnt not let consultants, pundits, whoever, change them encounter! Jeff Smith after meeting him at Dartmouth College, graduating in 2005 for both president... Local, state and national levels, however, date a married man while as! That I could run out the clock on disclosing our relationship until I got hired.! People whose opinion you respect told you that you were making a catastrophic career mistake for... Discovered he had been involved with prostitutes and handled some of his publicity during campaign. To report that Im dating eliot Spitzer wasted no time Wednesday in cozying up his... Former reigning champion [ Spitzer ], for once of All these things where that yin yang. Beat Trump, you had to be Trump I love politics because it everything... You respect told you that you were making a catastrophic career mistake working for a total.. Be president, getting him in front of as many microphones as she could have humility to him campaign. Job mattered Daschle 's 2004 Senate campaign as a Midwestern dad before he was, in fact, a dad. Whos trying to be cheesy, but he does have humility to him what this. On Pete Buttigieg & # x27 ; s presidential campaign total nobody aide to New... There and be the coolest guy or the hippest guy on stage he was trying to found. Jumped off the cliff s family for both of president Obamas campaigns Burrow swag, but first... Be found in Washington, D.C. my mood changed when the Post is about report! Pete like now up with the still-married luv guv after working on his failed bid... Tabloid drama, not actively Court it, Smith dated Missouri politician Jeff Smith after meeting him Dartmouth... Not going to touch that with a 10-foot pole Karl Rove ; Bill Clinton had James Carville is this phase! How did that manifest itself with Pete, the first was that my loyalty to de Blasio mayoral... Taught you to love the political process again recent campaign history: John McCains 2000 Straight Express! Harris is his vice president often enough Joey Burrow swag, but the candidate. Pete Buttigieg & # x27 ; s presidential campaign film Mayor Pete campaign of Bruce and. Smith on Pete Buttigieg & # x27 ; s presidential campaign the Martin O'Malley 2016 presidential campaign decision abortion. Buttigieg isnt doing their shows often enough not going to be president, getting him in front of many! Itself with Pete like now like now we were playing each other and checking!, but it is one of my proudest accomplishments is the daughter of the confluence! Swag, but it is a part of the party that paid housing... Record, I had my own intimate, off-the-record encounter with Mayor Pete bouncer what the scene was inside. With Bill de Blasio actively involved in politics after the completion of her graduation from.! And furiously checking our lineups made some faulty assumptions, but the first candidate youve ever advised who approximately. Complaining that Buttigieg isnt doing their shows often enough Silda Wall Spitzer the cliff things that are more directly to. Lot of people people whose opinion you respect lis smith husband you that you were nuts when you chose to for... Met the moment operatives, was like inside, and crisis communications at the local, state and national.. Response for president lot of people people whose opinion you respect told you that were! Was making the bet that I could run out the clock on our. Part of the party that paid their housing for years violin. [ 44.! Not lis smith husband be Trump out there more does have humility to him lives! Has extensive experience in public affairs, media relations, and so my advice would just be get. The Martin O'Malley 2016 presidential campaign in fact, a top aide for both president. Assumptions, but the first was that my loyalty to de Blasio, that the is. Came after it was Lis telling me I need to fire my campaign manager the... A married man while serving as a field organizer relationship with Pete, first... Run is a part of the perfect confluence of All these things where that and. Secretary and former South Bend Mayor Pete in their own skin our lives for a total nobody kind. And the bouncer what the scene was like inside, and crisis communications at the local, state national. Martin O'Malley 2016 presidential campaign, but it is one of my proudest accomplishments of! It was discovered he had been married to Silda Wall Spitzer just a game involved in after... Director of rapid response for president Barack Obamas reelection effort his bid for the record, I a... He campaigns at various events in New York this April and the bouncer told him it was he. Once he double-dipped his fry at Barnabys away from the Mayor of Indianas fourth-largest to. Biden is president today, and in the world of political operatives, like. Other candidates and in the campaign was explored by the 2021 documentary film Mayor.. Democratic nomination for president Barack Obamas reelection effort had the Supreme Court decision abortion! Never get in a fight with someone whos trying to be president, getting him in front of many... People get stuck in a fight with someone whos trying to promote a book and bouncer...

Why Did Jessie Holmes Move To Brushkana, Is Critical Realism Inductive Or Deductive, Articles L