Despite that having been some years ago, Jeff appears to support Smith and her recent endeavors. 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. Because 2015 and 2016 were really difficult times in my life. 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?. Hes someone who is very special to me, and I hope hes always a part of my life. She most recently worked as a senior advisor in communications to presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg. He hung up and looked at me in horror, and then my phone started ringing. 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. We needed to be the antidote to him. With Bill de Blasio, that was a different situation. But I appreciate his courage in being willing to speak out about it. Each was the political id the candidate couldnt, or wouldnt, express. Smith: Im not going to touch that with a 10-foot pole. Weve seen a lot of cataclysmic things happen. 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. My advice is just go out there more, communicate more. George Bush had Karl Rove; Bill Clinton had James Carville. Lis Smith Wiki Bio: Age, Husband, Net Worth, Children, Education, Career, Family, LinkedIn. "[29] Lloyd Green, writing for The Guardian, called it "breezy and informative. One thing I find incredibly admirable about him is what you see is what you get. Were just not looking for them. Honesty is really, really important to handling a crisis because you have to have all the facts at your disposal. Wren: Much has been made about Trump Derangement Syndrome this idea that, true or not, he scrambles rational political responses from otherwise reasonable people. 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. Wren: This book is in some ways a tell-all about the role of a political consultant. [2], She worked on Tom Daschle's 2004 Senate campaign as a field organizer. [2][11], She was the deputy campaign manager for the Martin O'Malley 2016 presidential campaign. [10], In 2016, she was the spokesperson for Marisol Alcantara's successful New York State Senate campaign. Wren: Did you have a good handle before the campaign on Petes vulnerabilities? A lot of people thought that to beat Trump, you had to be Trump. The national security site has found fresh energy as a savvy, progressive attack dog in national politics. Smith plotted the rollout of Pete Buttigiegs longshot presidential campaign. The two of us talked this week about Buttigiegs political future, whether Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow could jump into politics, and the ingredients of a good political candidate. In my book, I sort of get at this, but we are sort of an odd couple. The attack we had been dreading was coming. This includes with her own boss. 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? Elliot Spitzer (pictured), the election of Donald Trump and former Maryland Gov. 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. Tommy McArdle. Click here. "[30] Some critics felt that it minimized her role in discrediting the sexual assault allegations against Cuomo. Gripping reads, smart analysis and a bit of high-minded fun. And he is as squeaky clean behind the scenes as he is in front of the camera. Martin OMalley, who shed worked for, performing poorly in the Iowa caucuses. [44] Smith plays the violin.[44]. But Smith is still sour that de Blasio let her hang out to dry. In her book, Smith also called another client she worked for,ex-Gov. Thats a pretty ballsy thing to do. Smith: Dont make me praise Chris Meagher. 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. Political strategist Lis Smith isnt a married woman, though she may one day decide to tie the knot with a lucky somebody. I had to deal with candidates who, unfortunately, did not give me all the facts, and you cant effectively handle a crisis. ", Before they get in the car, I ask Buttigieg if Smith is being helpful in his campaign. Wren: How is the Lis Smith depicted in this book different from the Lis Smith in the popular political imagination? Hold on, Im sorry. Its really fun. 20 2022, Published 11:56 a.m. He was attempting a comeback by running for the modest job of New York City comptroller, and when the vote came in, he pulled in a respectable 48 percent, even though the entire citys political establishment was against him. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. He was out there. 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. 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. Most people do have earnest sides to them. I have a really close-knit group of friends who have nothing to do with politics. After McCaskill's win, she joined the 2007 Kentucky gubernatorial campaign of Bruce Lunsford and Greg Stumbo as traveling press secretary. [4] In 2006, she went to work on Claire McCaskill's Senate campaign in Missouri. Just before he was sworn in, de Blasio yielded to Peysers prodding and cut Smith loose just before he moved into the mayors office. Id worked for former [Former Maryland Gov.] But the Post discovered where they were. 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? Of course, then I would, Id get a tepid reception and she would never let me hear the end of it. She was also communications director for Dan Seals' 2008 Illinois House race. February 5, 2020 younolly Biography 0. 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. Wren: I want a window into how you advise candidates amid a crisis. | 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. Is it your relationship with reporters and cable bookers? Eliot Spitzer wasted no time Wednesday in cozying up to his new girlfriend's family. Chuck Kennedy/PFA. Except then it didnt. Smith: So with John Edwards, I was a college student. Wren: He rehabilitated you and taught you to love the political process again. Weve got that Joey Burrow swag, but he does have humility to him. She has also directed communications and strategy for a number of other gubernatorial, mayoral and congressional campaigns. The New York tabs may have sharpened her game, but people who've known her for years say Smith came ready for the fight. I cant believe you didnt know that! We were on the bus in New Hampshire the week we were playing each other and furiously checking our lineups. 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. 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. [31][32], Smith is also known for her commentary and analysis of United States politics. Smith says thats worth it. [Smiths voice breaks here.] | Mark Peterson/Redux, Yuki Iwamura/Redux. She has extensive experience in public affairs, media relations, and crisis communications at the local, state and national levels. Theres just no one who can do a TV interview like Pete Buttigieg. How hard-chargingNew Yorkoperative Lis Smith helpedturn an obscure Indianamayorinto a national name. Mistakes Ive made in my professional life. But more broadly, they are diagnosing the ills of the party that paid their housing for years. What is this new phase of your career about? Mistakes that Ive made with media. And you are going to pay me to be really quick and really aggressive and to take on Mitt Romney? Lis Smith Net Worth 2023, Age, Height, Relationships, Married, Dating, Family, Wiki Biography. You have to know the social media ecosystem, how people are sharing and consuming their news. As a thirty-something mayor of a medium-size city, Buttigieg faced a credibility threshold with the national press. Click here. The 54-year-old disgraced ex-governor. After winning the election, the candidate joined the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), and Smith consulted briefly for the group. And its really heartening because you realize the future of the Democratic Party is really bright, and that all we need to do is help lift these people up. Smith is 31; a Dartmouth graduate who apparently has a thing for bad boys. When they gave me the job I thought, first of all this job exists? 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 they did teach me the importance of always making sure that candidates are reflecting the values of their voters. Smith: I think its been great. There were very, very few women in positions of power. Wren: Could see a political career for him? This is how we stop there from being a day three. 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