Eliot Spitzer while working for incoming Mayor Bill de Blasio. 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. I know of one person in particular who said you were making a catastrophic career mistake working for a total nobody. [24], Smith authored the 2022 book Any Given Tuesday: A Political Love Story. Smith: Youve got to meet voters where they are. I dont live and breathe politics every day. [10], In 2016, she was the spokesperson for Marisol Alcantara's successful New York State Senate campaign. She has a 3-day-old copy of the New York Post in her bag. There is only so much you can do to bare your soul over a beer, but hopefully people get to know you on some level and more than they would one gaggle at a time. She is not letting Buttigieg read her book, Any Given Tuesday: A Political Love Story, ahead of publication day. I have talked to all the guys who see in the shots. It wasnt just the biggest names, people you know, Smith says. Why do I fucking love John McCain? Buttigiegs rise from unlikeliest of contenders to actual top-tier presidential candidate has been fueled in part, maybe in large part, by his astonishing success courting the press. I see that being taken so far out of context. I, in those races, became extremely battle-tested. He was a once-in-a-generation talent, someone who perfectly met the moment. Wren: How is the Lis Smith depicted in this book different from the Lis Smith in the popular political imagination? Otherwise, I would kill myself. Which is to say that Buttigieg may know seven languages and carry around Ulysses and sit in with the South Bend Orchestra on piano, but as far as his top aide is concerned, it is only because he has an extra year on her. Market Realist is a registered trademark. 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. And also keep in mind she was wasnt working on my campaign. 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. And so, she says, she cant talk right now. Letting Terry be Terry. The spinmeister hooked up with the still-married luv guv after working on his failed comeback bid to become city comptroller in 2013. If Im going to be honest about other people and their shortcomings, its really important for me to be honest about myself and my own shortcomings, Smith told me. [31][32], Smith is also known for her commentary and analysis of United States politics. Most people do have earnest sides to them. Smith marched him to the front of where the national and New York press were gathered, telling him, Are you ready for your first gaggle? He stayed until the matter was exhausted. While the affair may have been fun while it lasted, the two reportedly split in 2015, it cost Smith her job. 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. After McCaskill's win, she joined the 2007 Kentucky gubernatorial campaign of Bruce Lunsford and Greg Stumbo as traveling press secretary. 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. And I talked about that in the book. Some are even in the White House, like Deputy Press Secretary Chris Meagher, who briefed the press not too long ago. Yeah, I guess Id fallen in love with slightly problematic guy It wasnt like I was dating Ted BundyEliot was the former governor and attorney general of New York State, Smith said, referring to the serial killer. I worked in politics nine years before I ever moved to New York. 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. 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. 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. In my book, I sort of get at this, but we are sort of an odd couple. My advice is just go out there more, communicate more. E! 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. Alums [of the campaign] are on the Hill. 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. 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?. Smith: All the good candidates are comfortable in their own skin. Wren: I want a window into how you advise candidates amid a crisis. 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. [9][41] From 2013 to 2015, she had a relationship with her former boss, New York governor Eliot Spitzer. 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. Lis Smith Wiki Bio: Age, Husband, Net Worth, Children, Education, Career, Family, LinkedIn. But its not just about the 18-year-old girl. Other candidates, they dont need to do it. Its an inherent conflict of interest. Tom Ford. Shes had some very forceful moments as vice president. 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. I was coming off some New York races where everything is just all-day personal attacks getting in the mud. Wren: Youre a very competitive person. What do I get if I pay for your consulting services? [8], In 2012, she became director of the rapid response team for Obama's 2012 presidential campaign. She wants to know if Id seen Buttigieg answer a question about the Notre Dame fire from a French TV station, in French. Wren: You write pretty transparently in the book about times youve been fooled by a candidate. I am a liberal Democrat, but I was so into the McCain thing. Eliot Spitzer]. In what ways does your brand benefit from Petes, and in what ways does Petes brand benefit from yours? While her work history list might be lengthy, her dating track record isnt very long. Because he was a badass. But seriously. And you dont know who is actually going to attack you. 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. 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. They are doing things that are more directly relevant to peoples lives. That even in the age of Twitter, that especially in the age of Twitter, people dont really care about gaffes. Wren: You mentioned that some people might view you as radioactive. This is an election where the women voters are going to be really important. Lis Smith on Pete Buttigieg's campaign bus during a four day tour of Iowa, September 23, 2019. Unless youre a total psychopath . Smith said she felt violated after learning she was being followed. She figured that Buttigiegs sexual orientation and impossible-to-pronounce last name rendered him dead on arrival, but started researching the 35-year-old Indiana mayor and promptly took an eight-hour fall down a Google rabbit hole. Our resort was more Leave It to Beaver than Debbie Does Dallas,' she claimed. It wasnt really until 2012 when I worked for Barack Obama that I did find a really strong female mentor in Stephanie Cutter and I learned so much about my job, so much about politics, so much about how to effectively communicate from Stephanie Cutter. By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or updates from POLITICO and you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service. ", Before they get in the car, I ask Buttigieg if Smith is being helpful in his campaign. Lets just blow it out. But to me it was more just revealing [the] nature of the sliding doors of campaigns, and I think thats what youre getting at. 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. But another thing is that Im not someone whos just worked in New York. Wren: Lets talk about another Cincinnatian: Joey Burrow, your Bengals politically outspoken quarterback. Pete made us all show up to give our 100 percent at work made us all better at our jobs. The whole saga also taught her the rhythms of the New York tabloids, which have similarities to the national political press. What I realized from my time working in politics is how much mystery there still is around this industry. 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. And if people like me dont get involved, then Im scared about the future of our country. [33][34][35] She has written for publications such as The New York Times, Vanity Fair and The Washington Post. And you know what their problem is? I had that early rush of love on the brainI wasnt thinking clearly. Riley Keough's husband, Ben Smith-Petersen, revealed the couple welcomed a baby girl while he gave a speech on behalf of his wife during a memorial service for Lisa Marie Presley on Sunday By. Its a super-aggressive thing to do. He knows the importance of building up our bench. New transcripts and . Wren: Could see a political career for him? Your Bengals fandom and their Super Bowl run is a part of the book. He was also married. Wren: What do you look for in a candidate? 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. I thought everybody knew that.. Wren: What is your relationship with Pete like now? Lis Smith, a Democratic communications operative, has written a memoir that pulls back the curtain on how campaigns are won and lost. I really did feel he treated me as an equal. 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. I was making the bet that I could run out the clock on disclosing our relationship until I got hired officially. Pete asked the bouncer what the scene was like inside, and the bouncer told him it was lit. The term was lost on him. No, actually, it shows a fundamental disrespect for the people who consume their news on this platform if you arent willing to go where they are.. I figured he was special and it couldnt hurt if everybody knows who he is.. 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. Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images. 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. But the Post discovered where they were. I know that the media loves to pick up on a gaffe here or there but the more comfortable you are, the more interviews you do, the more comfortable you get in front of the camera, and the less little slip ups matter. The attack we had been dreading was coming. [2][11], She was the deputy campaign manager for the Martin O'Malley 2016 presidential campaign. 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. There were very, very few women in positions of power. News has confirmed her daughter Riley Keough welcomed a daughter with husband Ben Smith-Petersen, who mentioned their child at the singer's. But is it undermining its own side? Wren: Youve worked in a lot of red states South Dakota, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio. Smith is 31; a Dartmouth graduate who apparently has a thing for bad boys. He hung up and looked at me in horror, and then my phone started ringing. 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