Pete Buttigieg emerges as Democratic rock star proclaimed Business Insider during the race. A New York Post photographer had been surreptitiously posted outside my SoHo walkup apartment. She has been actively involved in politics after the completion of her graduation from Dartmouth . You dont reach out to the 35-year-old gay mayor of South Bend, Indiana, because you think it will be an easy ride.. I am a liberal Democrat, but I was so into the McCain thing. She dated former Missouri State Sen. Jeff Smith from 2005 to 2009, before he was locked up in a federal pen for obstruction after a probe of the state's 2004 election. Smith shot down a Post story claiming Sptizer was spotted kissing and sucking her toes while she was topless in a hot tub at a resort there. It was Lis telling me I need to fire my campaign manager, that the guy is a fucking idiot. On Sunday, Bill de Blasio put out a statement in a New York Post story in his own name defending himself against the portrait you paint of him in your book as obsessively paranoid. If you were working for him, and a book like yours came out authored by someone else, how would you have advised him to address the situation? Smith: I dont know, because I think one thing we saw was that he was pretty good about handling stuff. And if people like me dont get involved, then Im scared about the future of our country. Because it would drive me nuts during the campaign hearing all his wonky, wonky talk about infrastructure, about roads, about smart sewers. Eliot Spitzer's girlfriend Lis Smith, 31, has not been asked to take up a position in New York mayor Bill de Blasio's new City Hall team in the wake of her affair with the disgraced former governor. I think thats always been part of Joe Bidens appeal. And maybe I shouldve gone to law school. I would give Pete 95 percent of the credit and give me five percent of the credit. [21][22][23] In 2022, Smith became a communications adviser for Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow. I know of one person in particular who said you were making a catastrophic career mistake working for a total nobody. Inside the Shrinking Newsroom of the Paper That Shapes the PrimariesBy Tim Alberta. Smith is now Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio's spokeswoman and is dating Spitzer. "[29] Lloyd Green, writing for The Guardian, called it "breezy and informative. Because even power needs a day off. I knew from the beginningthat our relationship would be a big tabloid story when it became public. Even in decline, AM radio matters more than you might think. The most important thing is theres no one way to be a Democrat no matter what any of these lefty groups in Washington say, and we cannot expect candidates in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and Ohio and Arizona and North Carolina to check off every box on the progressive party purity test. Not long after that, at the presidential primary debate in Miami on June 27, you take us inside the greenroom backstage as you watched Pete get asked about this incredibly fraught moment. I fucking love John McCain. Smith: Thats hilarious. Smith: Yes. Hes going to sound so elitist. Or: Why does he have to answer every question with a proverb? Voters can smell when candidates are being authentic, and when candidates are not. We just had the Supreme Court decision on abortion. For example, you write in your book about going to a pop-up bar in South Bend with Pete and his best friend and campaign manager, Mike Schmuhl. The Post ran the exclusive photos of Spitzer ducking in and out of the Soho walk-up. What makes him such a magnet for criticism on both the left and the right? Because he was a badass. Win or lose, she's turned an unknown into a serious . Smith tells Politico:. Wren: Tell me about that five percent credited to you. Because he completely disrupts the idea of what a successful younger politician is. 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. Except then it didnt. Smith: In my experience, the best working relationships between candidates and their top staff often depend on a sort of yin-yang dynamic. I think its a little bit of a ride. 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 . Tommy McArdle. And although Smith would never say it, it plays on political reporters' narcissism, too. James Devaney/Getty Images. Politics is really personal to me. Click here. But another thing is that Im not someone whos just worked in New York. Spitzer leaves the apatment of Lis Smith at 5:44 a.m. on Dec. 19. Lis Smith (born October 15, 1982) is an American political strategist affiliated with the Democratic Party. Through the DNC race and afterward, Smith treated the national political press like it was another constituency that needed to be courted. And you dont know who is actually going to attack you. 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. And what Pete understood, and why I believed in him, was that to beat Trump, we didnt need to be him. The New York tabs may have sharpened her game, but people who've known her for years say Smith came ready for the fight. Smith: Dont make me praise Chris Meagher. Wren: Based on how you characterized the vice presidency, would you ever counsel the transportation secretary, regardless of what year it is, against taking the vice presidency? Id worked for former [Former Maryland Gov.] 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. . Elliot Spitzer (pictured), the election of Donald Trump and former Maryland Gov. The Simpsons actress Yeardley Smith is newly married and she and her husband have quite the . 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. I consider him a friend . They have grown to like and trust each other. 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 gravitates to candidates who are challenging and testing the status quo. It was younger reporters, super-hungry reporters that really know how to use Twitter, people who can then go to a cocktail party and tell their friends they had a beer with this guy Pete Buttigieg three hours from now. No. I think we saw that Kamalas attack on Biden was obviously was pretty pointed. She is most well known for being the senior advisor for Pete Buttigieg's 2020 presidential campaign and the director of rapid response for Obama's 2012 campaign. Smith: Joey Burrow is an incredible leader. When you do more interviews, it reduces that gotcha instinct with the press, it reduces that cat and mouse game. But that didnt work out. The great media disruption comes for the Des Moines Register. Theyre out in country working on campaigns. 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. He was also married. Wren: He rehabilitated you and taught you to love the political process again. New transcripts and . But there have been a few times when Ive been around him when I knew something, a factoid or something he didnt know, and let me tell you, I fucking lord it all over him. I remember in Iowa, we had all these young mayors for him. POLITICO Weekend flies into inboxes every Friday. Political strategist Lis Smith reveals in her new book how The Post exposed that she was dating prostitution-loving former Gov. 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. I had that early rush of love on the brainI wasnt thinking clearly. John Edwards comes to mind. From the second I met Pete, I knew that there was something special about him. It is a matter of life and death and we need every person on the field pic.twitter.com/LPqIS3zjnW. Political strategist Lis Smith reveals in her new book how The Post exposed that she was dating prostitution-loving former Gov. The tabloids followed the pair to Christmas at Smiths parents house in the upscale suburb of Bronxville. Everyone thought I was crazy. Weaver says that recreating that atmosphere in the days of Twitter, and in the days when the national political press corps has metastasized into a constantly hungry and multiheaded beast equipped with cell phones, is 10 times harder than when his team tried it in 1999. In what ways does your brand benefit from Petes, and in what ways does Petes brand benefit from yours? So what I try to do is to meet candidates where they are, and to help work with them on what their strengths are and not to erase the things in them that are quirky or not, but see if we can use them as assets. Wren: One of the theses of Petes campaign was that mayors are on the front lines of democracy. He was an incredible leader at Louisiana State University someone that team could rally around, and such a maturity to him. She did, however, date a married. I would do that for free.). How could they claim my dating life had nothing to do with the decision when it was the sole reason I was leaving,? she said. Because Pete is so Midwestern nice, I think it was helpful for him to have someone who could help kick him into another gear, and sort of push him to have the more aggressive instinct you need to break through in a presidential race. Why do I fucking love John McCain? Tom Ford. He was thinking of running for chair of the Democratic National Committee. And I agree with him that you cant get sucked up in the game. Does something like Buttigieg Derangement Syndrome exist? 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. 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. Im horrified. That means that shes held to a different standard than sometimes other candidates. E! Theyre just not looking in the right places. From the second I met Pete, I knew that there was something special about him. So the Post is about to report that Im dating Eliot Spitzer. I remember hearing from other consultants, Why is he going out there speaking seven languages? And when he was asked about that, he gave a really strong answer, and he took responsibility for things he did do in South Bend or things he didnt do in South Bend. 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. Now more than ever, people are seeing politics touch everything in our lives. Fantasy football we were competitive about that. Not possible, Smith says. Smith: Oh, thats simple. She signed on as a consultant when he was laying the groundwork for a long-shot campaign to become the chair of the Democratic National Committee. My mood changed when the Post story popped. And they all lack humility. Read on for more details on the relationship that cost Smith her job, who she has dated since, and what shes up to these days. Sign up for POLITICO Magazines email of the weeks best, delivered to your inbox every Friday morning. Its really hard to do a hit piece on a guy who you are going to see the next morning over coffee and donuts. That cut both ways during the campaign for Buttigieg, particularly when a white police officer killed a Black man in South Bend. In that moment, in retrospect, it seems like Harris couldve ended Buttigiegs campaign. [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. Deciding to get into politics for me, and in the world of political operatives, was like jumping off a cliff. My observation, said Axelrod, who worked with Smith on Obamas 2012 reelection campaign, is that she is the quiet hero of his emergence.. We knew the McKinsey stuff would be it, but he was bound by an NDA. 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. Eliot Spitzer. I was blindly ambitious, versus blindly loyal, and where the shiny object of being a New York City press secretary was more alluring to me that I was willing to overlook his very clear deficiencies. She doesnt give a fuck. They just get swallowed up by the next news cycle, and never reach the voters who matter anyway. Unless youre a total psychopath . The scandal would serve as a distraction for both Smith and mayor-elect de Blasio but the political crisis communications guru thought she could ride out the storm. Why would a Pete Buttigieg hire me? Cuomoresigned last August amid claims of sexual harassment and misconduct. Even people like Terry McAuliffe and Claire McCaskill, who both have outsized personalities. Oversaturation? The American, democratic campaign communication specialist Lis Smith is a well-known face in American politics. When I met him was right after Trump won the election, and Democrats are running around with their hair on fire for good reason. Wren: This book is in some ways a tell-all about the role of a political consultant. She has extensive experience in public affairs, media relations, and crisis communications at the local, state and national levels. Smith plotted the rollout of Pete Buttigiegs longshot presidential campaign. Wren: Lets talk about another Cincinnatian: Joey Burrow, your Bengals politically outspoken quarterback. Wren: What do you look for in a candidate? And its something that forever Ill be thankful to him for. Well, of course someone running for president would need to talk about it with me first, right? Smith: So with John Edwards, I was a college student. 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. | Lorenzo Bevilaqua/ABC via Getty Images. Her phone is literally exploding. There is a top political reporter for a major national newspaper apologizing for blowing off a meeting with Buttigieg earlier and trying to get one now, asking Smith, Will you ever forgive me?. [33][34][35] She has written for publications such as The New York Times, Vanity Fair and The Washington Post. Terry McAuliffe, and President Barack Obama, Lis Smith is finally flacking for Lis Smith. Adam Wren: In the beginning, you scored the contract for this book based on your high-profile turn as a senior communications adviser to Pete Buttigieg. Let Pete be Pete. Are you kidding me? I want him on everything, she told me. What is this new phase of your career about? 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. 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. Despite that having been some years ago, Jeff appears to support Smith and her recent endeavors. From the second I met Pete, I knew that there was something special about him. 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. How badly," she asks me, are you trying to fuck me over right now?, Interactive: The Lo-Fi Voices That Speak for AmericaBy M. Scott Mahaskey and Zack Stanton. She texts the buzziest bits to her sprawling network of journalistic contacts, who tweet them out. In a tweet shared on July 20, 2022, Jeff praised Smith for the publication of her insightful book., Talked @Morning_Joe about why I wrote Any Given Tuesday: "More than ever we need people to believe in the political processPolitics is more important than ever. Maybe Im done. The good candidates have humility. How Trump Took the Shine Off Washingtons Glitziest NightBy John F. Harris and Daniel Lippman. POLITICO Weekend delivers gripping reads, smart analysis and a bit of high-minded fun. Its just that I think with both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris that it would do the administration good to get out there a little bit more, and not to let the media and the Twitter dialogue get in your head, because most people dont speak like Pete Buttigieg in these beautiful, poetic, perfectly formed sentences. These days, Smith seems to be heavily involved in promoting her new book. [16] Business Insider considered her to be one of the 10 most powerful women running the 2020 presidential campaigns. 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. Smith: We check in here and there. Ahead of the release of her highly anticipated political memoir (which Politico Magazine excerpted last week), that includes figuring out how to get her computer to record our phone interview ammo to use in the event that its needed to set the record straight. And the fact that hes everywhere, from cable TV to Ebony to your local NPR show to your favorite sports podcast, means that a guy with no name recognition is suddenly hard to avoid. 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. But the Post discovered where they were. I have talked to all the guys who see in the shots. Its a local-politics mentality to find the people that are going to be telling this story, and if nothing else, making sure they have a real understanding of who you are. February 5, 2020 younolly Biography 0. Martin OMalley, who shed worked for, performing poorly in the Iowa caucuses. Maybe a story that would be 80-20 bad you can get down to 60-40 bad, and that little bit is worth it.. How has it turned out so far? Hes someone who is very special to me, and I hope hes always a part of my life. You never get in a fight with someone whos trying to promote a book. And also keep in mind she was wasnt working on my campaign. You have to know the social media ecosystem, how people are sharing and consuming their news. Smith says thats worth it. But more broadly, they are diagnosing the ills of the party that paid their housing for years. He has a clear social consciousness to him that you dont see in a lot of professional athletes. The Covid pandemic. With her signature black bob, dark sunglasses, and red lipstick, Lis Smith cuts a striking figure in the world of politics . AFP via Getty Images She dished about the former mayor's. ), Smith quipped. William C. Lopez After leaving the eatery at around 12:30 a.m., Smith gave Spitzer a flirtatious look over her shoulder before the . As someone who was a mayor who was on the ground, who knows how important this stuff is, hes a great messenger to send out there to these smaller media markets everywhere, where he can meet with the mayors, speak to them in their language, help make sure that theyre getting the resources they need. They are doing things that are more directly relevant to peoples lives. I romanticize it. Wren: Could see a political career for him? Other candidates, they dont need to do it. [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. Smith starts texting me, wanting to know if Id seen the celebrities in the audience, including George Takei, Kal Penn and Kate McKinnon. 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. And someone needs to be. She ran it like he was trying to be president, getting him in front of as many microphones as she could. She knew Axelrod from 2012, when she worked as director of rapid response for President Barack Obamas reelection effort. Riley was joined by her husband Ben Smith-Petersen, who gave a touching speech at Lisa Marie's funeral, in which he revealed that they recently welcomed a daughter into the world. 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