Why? I tell her that I have been calling around to former coworkers and associates, trying to get a sense of how she operates. It went on like this, just cursing up a blue streak for like two minutes., The aides mistake, Smith recalls, had to do with email: He failed to BCC reporters on a news release he blasted out. I had gone through this awful breakup [with former New York Gov. I know youre asking it in good faith, but I am declining to answer it in good faith. He was also married. ET Political strategist Lis Smith isn't a married woman, though she may one day decide to tie the knot with a lucky somebody. The 54-year-old disgraced ex-governor. Letting Pete be Pete. It was Lis telling me I need to fire my campaign manager, that the guy is a fucking idiot. And if I can help you with my experience, my profile, my contacts, to do that, then I will do it. Because he was a badass. Still, she still sought to rationalize her relationship with Spitzer. 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. Jeff Smith, her former boyfriend, recalls one time when he was running for office, his campaign managers phone rang. Whats that like? The final indignity, she said, is that de Blasios team team wanted the statement to say her departure was unrelated to her dating Spitzer. We are humble and kind, to quote Tim McGraw. We met at the Roxy Hotel in Tribeca. Lis Smith entered politics after watching The War Room, the 1992 documentary about Bill Clinton's successful bid for the presidency. And so, she says, she cant talk right now. Political strategist Lis Smith reveals in her new book how The Post exposed that she was dating prostitution-loving former Gov. Maybe a story that would be 80-20 bad you can get down to 60-40 bad, and that little bit is worth it.. [13][14], Smith met Pete Buttigieg on the recommendations of Axelrod and OMalley when he was considering running for Democratic National Committee chair in 2017 and became a consultant for the campaign. 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? Theres just no one who can do a TV interview like Pete Buttigieg. That is not how she ran his race. Eliot Spitzer while working for incoming Mayor Bill de Blasio. Smiths Any Given Tuesday: A Political Love Story, out July 19, is an irreverent, intimate and honest look behind the curtain of modern political image-making including her own. A lot of people people whose opinion you respect told you that you were nuts when you chose to work for Pete. In fact, other than Spitzer, Smith appears to have been flying solo for the last few years. Mistakes Ive made in my private life. Lis Smith (born October 15, 1982) is an American political strategist affiliated with the Democratic Party. I would do that for free.). I thought everybody knew that.. News has confirmed her daughter Riley Keough welcomed a daughter with husband Ben Smith-Petersen, who mentioned their child at the singer's. 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. Were just not looking for them. You never get in a fight with someone whos trying to promote a book. Lis knew that she had to build wide to build up, said Stephanie Cutter, who also worked on Obamas 2012 effort. Political strategist Lis Smith isnt a married woman, though she may one day decide to tie the knot with a lucky somebody. Smith has been exploring the idea of renting a bus, and just as McCain did, inviting reporters aboard to travel and fire away at Buttigieg with any question they want, all day, day after day. Wren: Theres a part of Pete that is a little wonky, a little square. I know of one person in particular who said you were making a catastrophic career mistake working for a total nobody. 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. He is in talks to do a Fox News town hall in the coming weeks, building off the surprise success of Bernie Sanders appearance on Fox, and in the past couple of weeks has also been on Ellen and The View, as well as Preet Bhararas podcast, The Intercepts podcast and The New Yorkers podcast. The Covid pandemic. Smith: I think its been great. My end goalsbeing able to stay in New York with Eliot and serve as the New York City mayors press secretarywere in sight. I had a beerhe stuck to waterand we talked about his political ambitions and the state of the Democratic Party and why Trump won. 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. With her signature black bob, dark sunglasses, and red lipstick, Lis Smith cuts a striking figure in the world of politics . So it was just sort of the perfect confluence of all these things where that yin and yang dynamic got us together. Wren: Youre often credited with vaulting Pete from the mayor of Indianas fourth-largest city to a member of Bidens cabinet. Smith: I think a lot of people get a very one-dimensional view of me. He was thinking of running for chair of the Democratic National Committee. But as long as its just like that one percent that you need to have the confidence that you can go out and rally thousands of people, and that its just that 1 percent and not 70 percent, then its all good. They are doing things that are more directly relevant to peoples lives. When I was starting in politics, we didnt have women. From the second I met Pete, I knew that there was something special about him. ELIOT AND DeBABE blared the cover of the New York Post, which ran several photos of the pair on its inside pages and in a column from the acid-tongued Andrea Peyser which called Smith not just any ordinary bimbo and called her an ambitious, youngish cookie who presumably does not charge Eliot for any services rendered., Eliot Spitzer and Lis Smith at a Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden in 2014. He was a once-in-a-generation talent, someone who perfectly met the moment, says Smith. We just had the Supreme Court decision on abortion. [44] Smith plays the violin.[44]. The national security site has found fresh energy as a savvy, progressive attack dog in national politics. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. And I am,' Smith toldWalzak. Smith: You never say never. | James Devaney/GC Images. Buttigieg campaigns in Iowa shortly after officially announcing his bid for the Democratic nomination for president. While working for the Obama campaign she met David Axelrod, whom Smith considers a mentor. Theyre out in country working on campaigns. Pete helped pull back that part of me, because while that might work when youre dealing in the New York tabloids, that doesnt sell as well in the Des Moines Register. And so my advice would just be, get out there more, especially with Kamala, go out there more. Her father was a partner at the white-shoe law firm Sidley Austin. Buttigieg recently started getting savaged online when it surfaced that he had told an audience in 2015 that all lives matter, and as it happened, he was due to speak at Al Sharptons annual National Action Network convention. There may be nobody more central to Mayor Pete's media successbesides the candidate himself, and arguably his social-media-savvy husband, Chasten Buttigiegthan Smith, who serves as a. The New York tabs may have sharpened her game, but people who've known her for years say Smith came ready for the fight. Market Realist is a registered trademark. 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. Smith: Im not going to say who. 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 want people to know what its like behind the scenes. Smiths mother is a descendent of a signer of the Mayflower Compact, and a cousin of lead Watergate investigator Sam Ervin. George Bush had Karl Rove; Bill Clinton had James Carville. He laid out his case for how a millennial municipal official from a town the size of a New York City Council district could somehow seize the Democratic nomination. Maybe a story that would be 80-20 bad you can get down to 60-40 bad, and that little bit is worth it.. What do all the good candidates youve worked for have in common, and what do the bad candidates have in common? She orders a beer, downs it and orders another. There were very, very few women in positions of power. 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. The great media disruption comes for the Des Moines Register. Isis bride Lisa Smith's husband was British Jihadist Sajid Aslam During an investigation conducted by the Irish Mail on Sunday, she said that Aslam, the father of her daughter, is dead - having been killed in the past three months. 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. But I understand that what I do isnt just a game. But I love politics because it touches everything in our lives. What else was the oppo they were dropping? 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." The photographer had captured Eliot and me exchanging loving looks as wed returned from a late-night dinner at a restaurant on my block.. Keep in mind she was 22 at the time, Smith said. Smith: One of the things Ive learned over my time in politics is that youve got to let your candidates be themselves. Click here. And I have a nice, quiet life where I dont live in Washington, D.C. And there was not a better antidote to Trump than Pete in terms of style, in terms of life experience, and in terms of his worldview. How Trump Took the Shine Off Washingtons Glitziest NightBy John F. Harris and Daniel Lippman. Our resort was more Leave It to Beaver than Debbie Does Dallas,' she claimed. Its a super-aggressive thing to do. The more people see Bill de Blasio, the less they like him. Wren: Youve worked in a lot of red states South Dakota, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio. Oversaturation? Martin OMalley, who shed worked for, performing poorly in the Iowa caucuses. 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 . Jason Bergman for POLITICO. She had an "itch," the political consultant writes in her. Martin OMalley, who got like 1 percent in the Iowa Caucuses. 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. A few weeks ago, a couple of hundred people expressed interest in this event. What I realized from my time working in politics is how much mystery there still is around this industry. I had that early rush of love on the brainI wasnt thinking clearly. I love him. She has also directed communications and strategy for a number of other gubernatorial, mayoral and congressional campaigns. One thing I find incredibly admirable about him is what you see is what you get. Neither Eliot nor I was gonna win a gold medal in the not reckless competition at the Olympics. A lot of people thought that to beat Trump, you had to be Trump. Its sad, but our politics isnt built to deal with people who are reasonable. He was a once-in-a-generation talent, someone who perfectly met the moment. . Smith is a fierce New York City-based Democratic operative who helped engineer the plan to get Buttigieg in front of not just national political reporters, but anybody with a camera or microphone. The guy didnt have time to say hello before Smith could hear screaming over the line. This is how we stop there from being a day three. 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. While the affair may have been fun while it lasted, the two reportedly split in 2015, it cost Smith her job. Click here. 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. TV news executives are calling, she says, emailing, now complaining that Buttigieg isnt doing their shows often enough. I had to deal with candidates who, unfortunately, did not give me all the facts, and you cant effectively handle a crisis. Im just going to leave it there because I thought it was funny. I first met John Edwards when I was 19 or 20 years old. [7] As communications director for the DGA, she oversaw gubernatorial campaign efforts in Kentucky and West Virginia. After the fundraiser, Smith and Buttigieg climb into an SUV and head to 30 Rock. Because he completely disrupts the idea of what a successful younger politician is. And also keep in mind she was wasnt working on my campaign. But to me it was more just revealing [the] nature of the sliding doors of campaigns, and I think thats what youre getting at. Your knowledge of the process? Wren: Tell me about that five percent credited to you. 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. The spinmeister hooked up with the still-married luv guv after working on his failed comeback bid to become city comptroller in 2013. But is it undermining its own side? She is the most competitive person I have ever known.. 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