I want Democrats to read this book. 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. 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. I, in those races, became extremely battle-tested. From the second I met Pete, I knew that there was something special about him. When I was starting in politics, we didnt have women. The New York tabs may have sharpened her game, but people who've known her for years say Smith came ready for the fight. What we did is fucking ridiculous. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. He didnt feel the need to go out there and be the coolest guy or the hippest guy on stage. 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. 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. Through the DNC race and afterward, Smith treated the national political press like it was another constituency that needed to be courted. and this amazing panel for a great conversation about campaign journalism! Do you think the lack of in-person events hurt them later on in building a relationship with the eventual White House press corps? Smith plotted the rollout of Pete Buttigiegs longshot presidential campaign. Smith: Dont make me praise Chris Meagher. I think thats probably the biggest misconception about me. Hold on, Im sorry. What do all the good candidates youve worked for have in common, and what do the bad candidates have in common? It also includes each staff member's position in the campaign, previous work experience, and Twitter handle, where available. Smith: So with John Edwards, I was a college student. And it was the first time Id worked in politics that Id ever felt that way. "She would just get in her car and drive to wherever," says Nina Edelman '05, a friend and college roommate. Now after advising Pete Buttigieg, she's published a must-read memoir, 'Any Given Tuesday: A Political. And so when they feel like they are getting attacked, or their families are getting atttacked, they think staff can never talk to them on the level, and it is frustrating for principals, because they are like, You are just a kid, you dont know anything. But with me, I can tell them, This is what is going to happen, this is how we are going to deal with it. Smith previously worked on campaigns for former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D. [2] He suspended his campaign on March 1, 2020.[3]. 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. 'I Had Been Seen as a Little Radioactive': Lis Smith - POLITICO 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. 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. 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. Smith earned plaudits in the 2020 campaign for her work as Pete Buttigieg's communications advisor. And it makes it especially difficult for challengers. Read More . That is not how she ran his race. How hard-chargingNew Yorkoperative Lis Smith helpedturn an obscure Indianamayorinto a national name. Part of it with him is the persona. Lis Smith was just a college student when she worked on her first political campaign. He was a once-in-a-generation talent, someone who perfectly met the moment. She wants to know if Id seen Buttigieg answer a question about the Notre Dame fire from a French TV station, in French. James Devaney/Getty Images. She has extensive experience in public affairs, media relations, and crisis communications at the local, state and national levels. As for their interactions with reporters, it's a good question, but if you look back on the Biden campaign's outreach during the general election, I think it actually increased his number of interactions with local press with the number of interviews he did remotely in states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Politics is literally a matter of life and death. Oh really, you didnt know that? Wren: One of the theses of Petes campaign was that mayors are on the front lines of democracy. Lis Smith is a veteran of twenty political campaigns. We needed to be the antidote to him. Smith: Im not going to touch that with a 10-foot pole. From her days as a college intern for John Edwards to her own brush with the New York tabloids, the book traces her entertaining path to the height of the American political consultant class. 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. 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. 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? It meant a lot to me as a woman to have someone like that. "What that looks like is going to a county that may be 80-20 . Democratic strategist Lis Smith, who served as the senior communications director for Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg's 2020 presidential campaign, believed Christine Blasey Ford was . It is, she says, the only newspaper she subscribes to. Smith: We check in here and there. Smith went to Dartmouth. 01 May 2023 02:06:06 I tell her that I have been calling around to former coworkers and associates, trying to get a sense of how she operates. We tend to think of younger politicians as either captive to the very far left or the very far right, but there is a whole crop of younger elected officials across the country that aren't on the extreme, and that can relate to the majority of voters. Wren: What do you look for in a candidate? "I basically blacked out for the next ten minutes as he talked about everything from Fiorello La Guardia to Buddhism," she wrote of her first job interview with the future mayor. This 35-Year-Old Mayor From Indiana Is Wowing National Democrats The New Republic declared. Smith: Oh, thats simple. From the second I met Pete, I knew that there was something special about him. Lis Smith - Fellow - Georgetown University's Institute of - LinkedIn 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.. Does something like Buttigieg Derangement Syndrome exist? I worked in states like South Dakota, Missouri, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia. 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. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles. This is an election where the women voters are going to be really important. Politics has a bias toward the status quo, she says. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider 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. And I talked about that in the book. Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images. Wren: Could see a political career for him? Usually, it was all good-natured. 'Queen Cleopatra' Director Slams Criticism of Casting Black Cleopatra External Relations: Moira Delaney Hannah Nelson Caroline Presnell 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. The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms LisSmithMartinO'Malley. But they did teach me the importance of always making sure that candidates are reflecting the values of their voters. 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. None of those races were particularly easy. The private Terry is a lot more low-key, and lot more humble, a lot more thoughtful. Its about hustling for opportunities. 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? And you know what their problem is? Mistakes that Ive made with media. Research: Josh Altic Vojsava Ramaj Well before she worked for Cuomo and then briefly rejoined as an outside advisor during the height of his sexual harassment scandal, Smith worked for his arch nemesis, de Blasio. 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. 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. You never get in a fight with someone whos trying to promote a book. The entire time Buttigieg has pitched himself as a unifier, Lis Smith has been right by his side. [4], In 2012, Smith was the rapid response director for Barack Obama's (D) presidential campaign. There was only one path for us to break through. Even TMZ got in the act LEO DICAPRIO OFFERED BUTTIGIEG HELP DURING 2020 RUN, trumpeted the chyron. Obama had David Axelrod. My observation, said Axelrod, who worked with Smith on Obamas 2012 reelection campaign, is that she is the quiet hero of his emergence.. We just had the Supreme Court decision on abortion. Lis knew that she had to build wide to build up, said Stephanie Cutter, who also worked on Obamas 2012 effort. And you are going to pay me to be really quick and really aggressive and to take on Mitt Romney? 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. It obviously leads to a lot less accountability for politicians. But another thing is that Im not someone whos just worked in New York. 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]. 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. After the Obama campaign, Smith moved to Eliot Spitzer's run for Controller of New York City. POLITICO Weekend flies into inboxes every Friday. Honesty is really, really important to handling a crisis because you have to have all the facts at your disposal. RT @UChiPolitics: How do we avoid rookie mistakes on the campaign trail? Democratic Consultant Lis Smith on Her Professional - People Apr 27. Letting Claire be Claire. Policy: Christopher Nelson Caitlin Styrsky Molly Byrne Jimmy McAllister Samuel Postell 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. Dont miss it! . Pete asked the bouncer what the scene was like inside, and the bouncer told him it was lit. The term was lost on him. | James Devaney/GC Images. You recently signed on with Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval. It wasnt just the biggest names, people you know, Smith says. She led Buttigieg on a series of one-on-one meetings over beer, coffee, lunch or cigars with what used to be known as the Gang of 500those reporters, producers and pundits who shape much of the nations political coverage. And those are the people that we should be elevating. Ballotpedia features 408,464 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. In real life, I have a really close-knit family. ", Before they get in the car, I ask Buttigieg if Smith is being helpful in his campaign. The Democratic bench isnt going to be found on Meet the Press every Sunday, and its not going to be found on cable news. We are humble and kind, to quote Tim McGraw. In some ways, he came across as a Midwestern dad before he was, in fact, a Midwestern dad. I want Republicans to read this book. as well as other partner offers and accept our. Acting. If we do that it is a recipe for disaster. There are probably dozens of Mayor Petes out there across the country. In what ways does your brand benefit from Petes, and in what ways does Petes brand benefit from yours? 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. Smith: One of the things Ive learned over my time in politics is that youve got to let your candidates be themselves. Traveling Press Secretary at Lunsford-Stumbo 2007 from February 2007 to . But to me it was more just revealing [the] nature of the sliding doors of campaigns, and I think thats what youre getting at. The spotlight turns to Kamala Harris, the only Black candidate on stage. He announced he was running for the Democratic presidential nomination on January 23, 2019, and formally kicked off his campaign on April 14, 2019. She was a field representative in South Dakota for then-Sen. Tom Daschle's unsuccessful re-election campaign in 2004 and press secretary for Sen. Claire McCaskill's (D-Mo.) "Joe Biden has had one of the most successful first two years of any president in recent history," Smith said. 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. Chuck Kennedy/PFA. Why would a Pete Buttigieg hire me? In 2016 she was deputy campaign manager for Martin O'Malley, the Democratic governor of Maryland who ran for the White House. 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. That fall, Spitzer and Smith started dating, which led to the New York City tabloids staking out her apartment to watch the pair coming and going. A lot of people thought that to beat Trump, you had to be Trump. He did. The story of American presidential politics is in part the story of the consiglieres who steer the candidate along the path: The person who pushes them forward, comforts them when the campaign flails, plots long-term strategy and tactical short-term advantage, bends the ear of the press corps and makes the public case for a candidate in ways the candidate cannot. ), President Barack Obama (D) and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D). 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. 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. UChicago Institute of Politics (IOP) But I understand that what I do isnt just a game. Rather than going after Pete, Harris trained her fire on Biden.. }. 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. [10] O'Malley announced his presidential run on May 30, 2015. Retail politics matters much less if there are no local papers or local TV stations to go out and capture you on the campaign trail. Smith: Thats hilarious. Smith: I dont know, because I think one thing we saw was that he was pretty good about handling stuff. I had a beerhe stuck to waterand we talked about his political ambitions and the state of the Democratic Party and why Trump won. Smith: In my experience, the best working relationships between candidates and their top staff often depend on a sort of yin-yang dynamic. Smith a Bengals fan believes quarterback Joe Burrow is a great leader with a clear social conscience, and she wouldnt rule out the possibility of him having a political career. So I would obviously advise him not to respond. 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. You write: Here we go said Larry Grisolano, Petes media consultant, stating the obvious. That's why you've seen them lean on people like Olivia Rodrigo, Matthew McConaughey, the Jonas brothers. The book gives an unvarnished behind-the-scenes look at campaign strategy and press relations. Whitney Whitis. I romanticize it. The candidate and the campaign manager dutifully board the aircraft, and just when it seems the door is about to close, as they start looking around nervously, in comes Smith, sunglasses and coat still on, laptop and cords dangling from her arms, phone pressed against her ear. 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. For a complete timeline of Buttigieg's campaign activity, click here. Lis Smith is a Democratic campaign communications specialist and co-founder of 50 State Communications in New York. There are so many talented Democratic elected officials across the country. I think it forced them to up their game in terms of their digital campaigning, and they understand I think more so than the Trump administration did that a lot of the ways you reach people now is not just through traditional big legacy media outlets. Hes someone who is involved fighting childhood hunger. When I met him was right after Trump won the election, and Democrats are running around with their hair on fire for good reason. This is so funny, because I was just saying to Mike Schmuhl, Pete's 2020 campaign manager and now chairman of the Indiana Democrats, that my dream project would be to take off an entire year and go to the big Democratic fundraising dinner in all 50 states. Over a tumultuous two decades in politics, Lis Smith has seen a thing or two. Smith said McCaskill chose to campaign aggressively in rural counties, which likely contributed to her narrow win over Talent. To Know Mayor Pete, Look at His Top Adviser's Underreported Past - Vice And no, politics is my love. She is the most competitive person I have ever known.. | Shes on her phone talking to another Buttigieg aide. What the decline of local media means is that the way that voters will get their information about candidates will come increasingly from paid media, from mail pieces and TV ads, and we all know that is not where you get the full truth. Smith: Democrats love to bitch that we dont have a bench. She has a 3-day-old copy of the New York Post in her bag. Now, I understand that sounds completely sick. I want political people to read this book, because I think its fun. 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. She is not letting Buttigieg read her book, Any Given Tuesday: A Political Love Story, ahead of publication day. which Politico Magazine excerpted last week. 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. 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. How did that manifest itself with Pete, the first candidate youve ever advised who was approximately the same age as you?
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