Youve got this hard-nosed New York-style political operative and this friendly Hoosier mayor, he said. Not possible, Smith says. Except then it didnt. Her next feature documentary, "Tribalism is Killing Us," which resulted . It was Lis telling me I need to fire my campaign manager, that the guy is a fucking idiot. Smith: Yes. if(document.getElementsByClassName("reference").length==0) if(document.getElementById('Footnotes')!==null) document.getElementById('Footnotes').parentNode.style.display = 'none'; Ballotpedia features 408,464 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. Smith: Oh, thats simple. Not to be cheesy, but it is one of my proudest accomplishments. But I dont know whats inside him. Buttigieg received the most pledged delegates in the Iowa caucuses. But it was one of those moments where I had to go with my gut. Each was the political id the candidate couldnt, or wouldnt, express. In some ways, he came across as a Midwestern dad before he was, in fact, a Midwestern dad. ), Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo. The bad candidates are people who are insecure, who put their finger in the wind, who dont trust their instincts enough and dont have the backbone to do the right things. He doesnt yell and scream, take the most extreme positions on issues, or tweet incendiary things. Maybe somewhere an 18-year-old girl like me can pick up my book and can learn something from it about how you work with candidates, how you work with the media, how you deal with crisis, and also learn from my mistakes. Smith: Thats hilarious. Alums [of the campaign] are on the Hill. 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. From 2006 to 2010 she stayed busy, participating in numerous gubernatorial campaigns, and then in 2012 being named the rapid response director for the Barack Obama . 1. 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. 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. Eliot Spitzer]. It will codify Roe v. Wade. 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. And especially on far-leftist DSA Twitter, Im basically just depicted as a mix between Lady Macbeth and Rasputin in a wig, that Im like some soulless political operatives. Biden warns of rights under threat from Trump and 'MAGA extremists' in Before a debate, you have no idea how much gossip is going around. Lis Smith is a veteran of twenty political campaigns. That's helped him to make a strong case for himself for 2024, said Democratic strategist Lis Smith, an adviser to Pete Buttigieg in his 2020 bid. She advised a couple of governors still left in office, and started taking on more nonprofit clients. I want Democrats to read this book. But it is kind of fascinating to watch., Smith met Buttigieg on the recommendation of Axelrod and former Maryland Governor Martin OMalley. Show this thread. When they gave me the job I thought, first of all this job exists? And when it happened, the story was her. I had a beerhe stuck to waterand we talked about his political ambitions and the state of the Democratic Party and why Trump won. There are so many talented Democratic elected officials across the country. [11] Smith, who worked as a spokesperson for the PAC since her hire in 2013, then transitioned to the role of deputy campaign manager. Wren: Fair enough. Martin O'Malley presidential campaign, 2016, Martin O'Malley's 2016 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton presidential campaign key staff, Donald Trump presidential campaign key staff, Lincoln Chafee presidential campaign key staff, Martin O'Malley presidential campaign key staff, Bernie Sanders presidential campaign key staff, Ben Carson presidential campaign key staff, Chris Christie presidential campaign key staff, Carly Fiorina presidential campaign key staff, Lindsey Graham presidential campaign key staff, Mike Huckabee presidential campaign key staff, John Kasich presidential campaign key staff, George Pataki presidential campaign key staff, Rand Paul presidential campaign key staff, Rick Perry presidential campaign key staff, Marco Rubio presidential campaign key staff, Rick Santorum presidential campaign key staff, Scott Walker presidential campaign key staff, https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Lis_Smith&oldid=8905524, Pages using DynamicPageList3 dplreplace parser function, Martin O'Malley presidential advisors and staff, Martin O'Malley primary election influencers, Martin O'Malley former presidential advisors and staff, Conflicts in school board elections, 2021-2022, Special Congressional elections (2023-2024), 2022 Congressional Competitiveness Report, State Executive Competitiveness Report, 2022, State Legislative Competitiveness Report, 2022, Partisanship in 2022 United States local elections. It may look like the sky is falling, but just ride this out.. He lives in New York. I think I am impressive because I am a violinist and I went to Dartmouth and I speak French and have traveled all over the world and, I dont know, I know a lot about great apes, she says. Policy: Christopher Nelson Caitlin Styrsky Molly Byrne Jimmy McAllister Samuel Postell I want political people to read this book, because I think its fun. Now after advising Pete Buttigieg, she's published a must-read memoir, 'Any Given Tuesday: A Political. How hard-chargingNew Yorkoperative Lis Smith helpedturn an obscure Indianamayorinto a national name. Smith: One of the things Ive learned over my time in politics is that youve got to let your candidates be themselves. A photo and audio tour of the hosts driving the conversation. 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. The whole saga also taught her the rhythms of the New York tabloids, which have similarities to the national political press. Staff are presented alongside their positions in the campaign, their most recent positions prior to the campaign, and their Twitter handles. [12], O'Malley suspended his presidential campaign on February 1, 2016.[13]. [3], Lis Smith began working on campaigns shortly after graduating from Dartmouth College. 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. Smith: Joey Burrow is an incredible leader. Theyre out in country working on campaigns. Lis Smith is a Democratic campaign communications specialist and co-founder of 50 State Communications in New York. Democratic Consultant Lis Smith on Her Professional - People External Relations: Moira Delaney Hannah Nelson Caroline Presnell And so my advice would just be, get out there more, especially with Kamala, go out there more. He was thinking of running for chair of the Democratic National Committee. Now, to go back to the premise of your question, I think what we should be looking for is I'm not breaking any news here by saying that the leadership in Washington right now is a bit on the older side we should be elevating young candidates, elevating millennial candidates in their 30s and 40s. Lis Smith on Twitter: "RT @UChiPolitics: How do we avoid rookie I had to deal with candidates who, unfortunately, did not give me all the facts, and you cant effectively handle a crisis. In real life, I have a really close-knit family. 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. Terry McAuliffe and former Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, and mostly survived the cauldron of New York politics, working on both ends of the long-simmering feud between former New York Gov. [4], According to the Washington Post, Lis Smith began working with Martin O'Malley in 2011 during "the first part of his tenure as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association. If there is one thing that makes Smith unique, its not her knowledge of great apes or her particular skill eviscerating her opponents on Twitter; Its that her skin was toughened by a stretch of time in the rawest, roughest media environment of all, the NYC tabloid scrum. Her new book, "Any Given Tuesday: A Political Love Story," goes behind the scenes of her time with some of the nation's most powerful Democratic lawmakers, sometimes in the midst of spiraling crises. But in our party, it seems the only people we ever talk about are members of Congress and senators. I tell her that I have been calling around to former coworkers and associates, trying to get a sense of how she operates. I fucking love John McCain. I know, but sitting at this dinner in Indianapolis, I was completely gobsmacked by how impressive some of the speakers were that I had never heard of before in my life, that you will never read about in national publications. Keep in mind she was 22 at the time, Smith said. Smith also gets points for interacting. She uses her feed to, well, rapidly respond to the news. We just had the Supreme Court decision on abortion. She is a talented communicator. And I talked about that in the book. People get stuck in a rut because something worked last cycle, and so they think it will work this cycle and it doesnt. The makeup of a candidate's staff can signal the strength of their support from influential party activists and whether they are aligning with a particular faction or group within the party. The Obama campaigns director of rapid response, Lis Smith, is not afraid to take the gloves off on Twitter. Shortest-ever serving Prime Minister Liz Truss is locked in a row over missing dressing gowns from a country estate where she planned her tilt at Number 10. It wasnt just the biggest names, people you know, Smith says. Operations: Meghann Olshefski Mandy Morris Kelly Rindfleisch They lead with emotion. 27 Apr 2023 19:44:36 When I met him was right after Trump won the election, and Democrats are running around with their hair on fire for good reason. He weighed in after the shooting in Uvalde. He didnt feel the need to go out there and be the coolest guy or the hippest guy on stage. Gharavi is a BAFTA and Sundance-nominated filmmaker. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider [1] She was the deputy campaign director for Martin O'Malley's 2016 presidential campaign. They are doing things that are more directly relevant to peoples lives. James Devaney/Getty Images. as well as other partner offers and accept our. She orders a beer, downs it and orders another. I worked in states like South Dakota, Missouri, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia. Whats that like? Seeing how Pete cuts through with people and what a truly effective messenger hes become for the Democratic Party, it makes you realize: Theres not just one Mayor Pete. . Politics is literally a matter of life and death. And also keep in mind she was wasnt working on my campaign. And he is as squeaky clean behind the scenes as he is in front of the camera. And I agree with him that you cant get sucked up in the game. In that same vein, I know that there were people in the transportation secretarys inner circle that thought his taking that position wasnt the best idea. Smith: Yeah. I first met John Edwards when I was 19 or 20 years old. 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. Lis Smith (@Lis_Smith) / Twitter The death of local news is a tragedy for voters and it's a tragedy for campaigns. Because it would drive me nuts during the campaign hearing all his wonky, wonky talk about infrastructure, about roads, about smart sewers. Wren: Lets talk about another Cincinnatian: Joey Burrow, your Bengals politically outspoken quarterback. Oh really, you didnt know that? .center-table-mobile { Wren: Tell me about that five percent credited to you. Wren: You mentioned that some people might view you as radioactive. 'Queen Cleopatra' Director Slams Criticism of Casting Black Cleopatra We are at the risk for seeing abortion rights eroded in more and more states. She puts the word fuck through every part of speech the word can be bent into: noun, pronoun, gerund, verb, term of endearment, sobriquet, epithet, honorific. I really did feel he treated me as an equal. At 37, Smith is already a campaign-worn strategist and Washington, D.C., folk hero, credited with launching the 38-year-old mayor to, if not the top tier of the presidential race, its second. Smith earned plaudits in the 2020 campaign for her work as Pete Buttigieg's communications advisor. We needed to be the antidote to him. Acting. UChicago Institute of Politics (IOP) My observation, said Axelrod, who worked with Smith on Obamas 2012 reelection campaign, is that she is the quiet hero of his emergence.. Why? Visit Presidential election key staffers, 2020, to see our coverage of staff on other campaigns. Some are even in the White House, like Deputy Press Secretary Chris Meagher, who briefed the press not too long ago. Over a tumultuous two decades in politics, Lis Smith has seen a thing or two. [4], In 2012, Smith was the rapid response director for Barack Obama's (D) presidential campaign. This 35-Year-Old Mayor From Indiana Is Wowing National Democrats The New Republic declared. But I love politics because it touches everything in our lives. Everyone thought I was crazy. A text arrives from John Weaver, a top adviser to former Ohio Governor John Kasich. 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. It meant a lot to me as a woman to have someone like that. Not surprisingly, her politics are establishment liberal. Whats especially important to me, is, you know, making sure to take a lot of young women under my wing. Honesty is really, really important to handling a crisis because you have to have all the facts at your disposal. 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. As voters look for someone who can beat Trump, the fact that the press corps appears to vouch for this curious character, a young liberal red-state mayor, means that voters can give him a second look too. Smith ended up dropping most of her other clients, politicians and nonprofits alike. She was the spokesperson for Pete Buttigieg's 2020 presidential campaign. Im realistic here. Shes on her phone talking to another Buttigieg aide. Just before he was sworn in, de Blasio yielded to Peysers prodding and cut Smith loose just before he moved into the mayors office. The good candidates have humility. Even people like Terry McAuliffe and Claire McCaskill, who both have outsized personalities. There is a huge bench of mayors, of governors, of state legislators, like Mallory McMorrow, who we should be lifting up, we should be using as spokespeople for the Democratic Party. She is the most competitive person I have ever known.. Even in decline, AM radio matters more than you might think. Wren: Could see a political career for him? The great media disruption comes for the Des Moines Register. Smith said McCaskill chose to campaign aggressively in rural counties, which likely contributed to her narrow win over Talent. He was a once-in-a-generation talent, someone who perfectly met the moment, says Smith. If you could just attend town board and county legislature meetings for a year, what are the intangible qualities you'd be looking for in scouting candidates? The New York tabs may have sharpened her game, but people who've known her for years say Smith came ready for the fight. 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. Were just not looking for them. Click here. So many flacks lose their mind over inconsequential things, and have no sense of, This is good press, this is mediocre press, and this is awful press. That is something you know once you have been through awful press., As a flack, you dont always understand what it feels like to be a principal, what it feels like to be under scrutiny. These results are automatically generated from Google. She often mentions others in her tweets and sometimes gets into multiple tweet disputes with people she disagrees with, which are always fun to watch. "Joe Biden has had one of the most successful. But another thing is that Im not someone whos just worked in New York. It took THREE journalists to come up with this throwaway article: Lis Smith, senior adviser to Pete Buttigieg's 2020 presidential campaign: ".I think it's probably something we have no idea about." https://politi.co/427TvyH via @politico. Smith starts texting me, wanting to know if Id seen the celebrities in the audience, including George Takei, Kal Penn and Kate McKinnon. And yet you signed on anyway. Through the DNC race and afterward, Smith treated the national political press like it was another constituency that needed to be courted. 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. Lets be real, Adam. Read More . Theres just no one who can do a TV interview like Pete Buttigieg. A Democratic candidate in West Virginia is going to look very different from a Democratic candidate in New York, and we cant impose this one-size-fits-all thing and think that the Democratic Party is going to be a majority party. Wren: He rehabilitated you and taught you to love the political process again. Lis Smith: My favorite was one person asking me if I lost a bet or something. He has a clear social consciousness to him that you dont see in a lot of professional athletes. I'm not saying that it affects him negatively, but it's an interesting question. }. Any Given Tuesday: Lis Smith on Cuomo, Spitzer and a political life Pete's 2020 campaign manager and now chairman of the Indiana Democrats, that my dream project would be to take off . Smith, who helped take Buttigieg's star to the national level, is now working with Michigan state senator Mallory McMorrow, who went viral with a searing counterattack on anti-LGBTQ+ Republicans.. Sign up for our newsletter. 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. Liz Truss locked in row over '12k bill at Chevening country retreat' I should know: Last October, I had my own intimate, off-the-record encounter with Mayor Pete. Mistakes that Ive made with media. Wren: Much has been made about Trump Derangement Syndrome this idea that, true or not, he scrambles rational political responses from otherwise reasonable people. I think now more than ever, people need to understand how the media works. Lis Smith is recording this call. 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. Terry McAuliffe, and President Barack Obama, Lis Smith is finally flacking for Lis Smith. 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. Liz Truss is contesting a 12,000 bill for costs incurred relating to her use of the grace-and-favour Chevening estate she had access to as foreign secretary, the Mail on Sunday reported. Ive always tried to be very grounded. So many flacks lose their mind over inconsequential things, and have no sense of, This is good press, this is mediocre press, and this is awful press. That is something you know once you have been through awful press.. Pete Buttigieg emerges as Democratic rock star proclaimed Business Insider during the race. Lis Smith on rapid response to attacks in political campaigns That even in the age of Twitter, that especially in the age of Twitter, people dont really care about gaffes. I worked in politics nine years before I ever moved to New York. I love him. Liz Smith, shown here keeping crowds under control during Elliot Spitzer's campaign to become New York City Controller, is entitled to her privacy and dignity. For a complete timeline of Buttigieg's campaign activity, click here. [10] O'Malley announced his presidential run on May 30, 2015. That means that shes held to a different standard than sometimes other candidates. ), President Barack Obama (D) and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D). How Trump Took the Shine Off Washingtons Glitziest NightBy John F. Harris and Daniel Lippman. I had gone through this awful breakup [with former New York Gov. It was a slim path. And so, she says, she cant talk right now. Mistakes Ive made in my professional life. We knew the McKinsey stuff would be it, but he was bound by an NDA. 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?. We should start thinking about what prominent national Democrats we can use to help raise money and help campaign for them to do things like flip the Michigan state Senate. 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. Also how many, like, mind-games campaigns are playing with others. 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. He weighed in after the Supreme Court decision. Rather than going after Pete, Harris trained her fire on Biden.. [2] He suspended his campaign on March 1, 2020.[3]. What makes him such a magnet for criticism on both the left and the right? [1] She was the deputy campaign director for Martin O'Malley's 2016 presidential campaign. 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. She was my girlfriend., Later, says Smith, when he was a state lawmaker, I would say to her, I am going to talk to such-and-such group, and she would tell me, This is what you should say. And I would say to her, Lis, I am not going to say that, its not my style, its not going to work. Lis Smith - Ballotpedia Smith: In my experience, the best working relationships between candidates and their top staff often depend on a sort of yin-yang dynamic. Most people do have corny sides to them. Smith says thats worth it. In 2012, Smith served as President Barack Obama's director of rapid response, a similar role she'll play with Cuomo and the state Democratic Party's coordinated campaign this year. Candidates often appoint elected officials and other important figures in their party's coalition as chairs of their national campaign and state-level campaigns.[1]. 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? Running for politics theres got to be a little element of narcissism or whatever you want to call it in you. 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. While known most recently for her ingenuity behind Pete Buttigieg's democratic presidential campaign, Smith was also a key player in Senator John Edward's (D) presidential run. This section featured five news stories about Buttigieg and his 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. 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. 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. He did. In what ways does your brand benefit from Petes, and in what ways does Petes brand benefit from yours? [3] Buttigieg received the most pledged delegates 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.. I think thats probably the biggest misconception about me. The saga gave Smith an insight that most campaign operatives lack: what it's actually like to be that bug trapped under the magnifying glass. And I have a nice, quiet life where I dont live in Washington, D.C. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. In a crisis, the most important thing to do is to pause, to take a step back and get all the facts, and game out your response. 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. 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. Chuck Kennedy/PFA. Buttigieg focused his campaign on policy issues that he implemented as mayor, such as connecting with the global economy through investing in advanced industries, data, technology, and higher education.[4]. Hold on, Im sorry. 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. Lis Smith - Institute of Politics and Public Service 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?. Letting Claire be Claire. They have one man to thank. The one thing you saw on our campaign in 2020 is that everywhere we went, he was introduced by young leaders, young mayors. Like we saw with Hillary Clinton, women are sometimes held to a different standard. Lis Smith is currently a Deputy Campaign Manager at O'Malley for President from May 2015 to February 2016 (10 months) in Baltimore, Maryland Area. [2] Smith previously worked on campaigns for former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D. 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. They also build organizations in individual states that are overseen by state directors and staffed by party activists and political professionals well-versed in the particular politics of the area. When I stood up and left the table, Buttigieg stayed, and I recognized a woman sitting at the bar. He's on his way into a black car to do Maddow. When you do more interviews, it reduces that gotcha instinct with the press, it reduces that cat and mouse game.
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