And also keep in mind she was wasnt working on my campaign. 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. It was a reporter from BuzzFeed News, waiting to take my place. 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. 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. 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. Wren: Did you have a good handle before the campaign on Petes vulnerabilities? John Edwards comes to mind. Its about getting to know people and them getting to know you, Buttigieg says when I see him after the Brooklyn fundraiser, where he at least pretends to recall our earlier meeting and what we talked about. } @media only screen and (max-width: 400px){ And when I began asking around to figure out who was behind that strategy, the same name kept coming up: Lis Smith. border-radius:50%; | Elijah Nouvelage/REUTERS. 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. Because he completely disrupts the idea of what a successful younger politician is. 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. Jason Bergman for POLITICO. In 2016 she was deputy campaign manager for Martin O'Malley, the Democratic governor of Maryland who ran for the White House. I want Republicans to read this book. It also includes each staff member's position in the campaign, previous work experience, and Twitter handle, where available. Jeff Smith, her former boyfriend, recalls one time when he was running for office, his campaign managers phone rang. [7] When Spitzer lost the primary election, she was hired on the communications team for Bill de Blasio's New York City mayoral campaign. Pete made us all show up to give our 100 percent at work made us all better at our jobs. Gripping reads, smart analysis and a bit of high-minded fun. Oftentimes its not going to be found in Washington, D.C. Buttigieg's Ex-Campaign Manager Is Showing Democrats How to - Insider Smith: Oh, thats simple. Smith said McCaskill chose to campaign aggressively in rural counties, which likely contributed to her narrow win over Talent. Wren: Youve worked in a lot of red states South Dakota, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio. 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.. This is what day one looks like. Maybe a story that would be 80-20 bad you can get down to 60-40 bad, and that little bit is worth it.. Lis Smith is a Democratic campaign communications specialist and co-founder of 50 State Communications in New York. . . [8] On the de Blasio campaign, Smith worked with campaign manager Bill Hyers, the campaign manager for Martin O'Malley's 2016 presidential campaign. I am humbled and flattered and appreciative of when people recognize the hard work I put in on our media strategy, and the fact that we employed a media strategy that was radically different from everyone else in the field. 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. Lets be real, Adam. The writer from Indianapolis Monthly who went for a jog with Buttigieg three months before his feature landed, the Washington Post Magazine writer who sat down in a Virginia soul food joint with Mayor Pete long before he declared his presidential bid and the Yahoo News feature writer who crammed into the corner seat of a midtown Manhattan caf with him months ago. Your Bengals fandom and their Super Bowl run is a part of the book. Its just a personal part of my book. I romanticize it. I was a field organizer for him in Keene, New Hampshire, and a bus of New Yorkers came up and the "New York for Edwards" delegation was led by none other than then-City Councilman Bill de Blasio. The death of local news is a tragedy for voters and it's a tragedy for campaigns. Going back to when the 2020 campaign went virtual, how do you think the Biden team has handled its messaging since then? The good candidates have humility. Lis Smith, may find her job in . By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or updates from POLITICO and you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service. A few weeks ago, a couple of hundred people expressed interest in this event. And you know what their problem is? [2] He suspended his campaign on March 1, 2020.[3]. Lis Smith Says the Path to Trouncing Ron DeSantis Is Straight Through [10] O'Malley announced his presidential run on May 30, 2015. But in our party, it seems the only people we ever talk about are members of Congress and senators. They need to understand how the political process works. Keep in mind she was 22 at the time, Smith said. And it was a running joke between us: I was like, I cant listen to you talk about smart sewers one more time, or I will lose my mind. He loves that stuff. 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. I think thats probably the biggest misconception about me. Honesty is really, really important to handling a crisis because you have to have all the facts at your disposal. Axelrod told Buttigieg about Smith, and OMalley told Smith about this young mayor from South Bend. And you just like have this moment, where youre like, Maybe this is it. Smith: Im not going to touch that with a 10-foot pole. as well as other partner offers and accept our. There is nothing too big for her. Did it worry you that he might not be the candidate with whom people most wanted to have a beer or should we say, get lit with? We are at the risk for seeing abortion rights eroded in more and more states. They have grown to like and trust each other. Deciding to get into politics for me, and in the world of political operatives, was like jumping off a cliff. Theyre just not looking in the right places. Lis Smith's Email & Phone - O'Malley for President - ContactOut I remember in Iowa, we had all these young mayors for him. 1. 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. I think thats always been part of Joe Bidens appeal. 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. What do I get if I pay for your consulting services? A lot of people people whose opinion you respect told you that you were nuts when you chose to work for Pete. 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. You couldnt have pulled off that strategy with a Bill de Blasio. Chuck Kennedy/PFA. She's taken gambles on underdogs like Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, advised establishment stalwarts such as former Virginia Gov. Your knowledge of the process? What is this new phase of your career about? | 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.) Its why in one day we do CBS Sunday Morning, The View, Teen Vogue and the New Yorker. She is not letting Buttigieg read her book, Any Given Tuesday: A Political Love Story, ahead of publication day. ), President Barack Obama (D) and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D). Because he was a badass. But another thing is that Im not someone whos just worked in New York. "We can't fool ourselves the Republicans are eating our lunch in terms of attention and viewership because of the unprecedented, unilateral, and arbitrary way the DNC Chair determined this. The spotlight turns to Kamala Harris, the only Black candidate on stage. 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. Apr 27. if(document.getElementsByClassName("reference").length==0) if(document.getElementById('Footnotes')!==null) document.getElementById('Footnotes').parentNode.style.display = 'none'; Communications: Alison Graves Carley Allensworth Abigail Campbell Sarah Groat Erica Shumaker Caitlin Vanden Boom Smith starts texting me, wanting to know if Id seen the celebrities in the audience, including George Takei, Kal Penn and Kate McKinnon. Why would a Pete Buttigieg hire me? But I love politics because it touches everything in our lives. "She would just get in her car and drive to wherever," says Nina Edelman '05, a friend and college roommate. Buttigieg campaigns in Iowa shortly after officially announcing his bid for the Democratic nomination for president. }. There was only one path for us to break through. Democratic Consultant Lis Smith on Her Professional - People It may look like the sky is falling, but just ride this out.. | I was coming off some New York races where everything is just all-day personal attacks getting in the mud. Its sad, but our politics isnt built to deal with people who are reasonable. In 2012 Lis directed President Barack Obama's rapid-response team for his re-election effort. ), President Barack Obama (D) and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D). Because even power needs a day off. On the flip side of that, the most established, the most convention conventional political consultants werent going to go work for Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend. Regular voters and the media were primed for it.. 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.. They are already well-known.. | James Devaney/GC Images. [2] He suspended his campaign on March 1, 2020. 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. Smith: All the good candidates are comfortable in their own skin. 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 . Lis Smith on Pete Buttigieg's campaign bus during a four day tour of Iowa, September 23, 2019. Mistakes that Ive made with media. 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. He has a clear social consciousness to him that you dont see in a lot of professional athletes. Hold on, Im sorry. Part of it with him is the persona. He lives in New York. He wrote a paper praising Bernie Sanders at Harvard? It is 5:15 on a Monday evening. The book gives an unvarnished behind-the-scenes look at campaign strategy and press relations. She was the deputy campaign director for Martin O'Malley's 2016 presidential campaign. 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. 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. Ahead of the release of her highly anticipated political memoir (which Politico Magazine excerpted last week), that includes figuring out how to get her computer to record our phone interview ammo to use in the event that its needed to set the record straight. Running for politics theres got to be a little element of narcissism or whatever you want to call it in you. Maybe Im done. And I agree with him that you cant get sucked up in the game. What is Lis Smiths secret sauce? Lis Smith is a veteran of twenty political campaigns. Smith: I think a lot of people get a very one-dimensional view of me. What we did is fucking ridiculous. 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? When Smith opens her laptop, there are saved tabs about Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, a YouTube video of a facial massage routine, kale recipes, a Time Out City Guide to Dubai and a 2012 Huffington Post article about how the Obama and Romney campaigns used Twitter. [2] 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. 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. Wren: Much has been made about Trump Derangement Syndrome this idea that, true or not, he scrambles rational political responses from otherwise reasonable people. POLITICO Weekend delivers gripping reads, smart analysis and a bit of high-minded fun. Lis Smith was just a college student when she worked on her first political campaign. They just get swallowed up by the next news cycle, and never reach the voters who matter anyway. There are probably dozens of Mayor Petes out there across the country. Martin OMalley, who got like 1 percent in the Iowa Caucuses. Even in decline, AM radio matters more than you might think. Wren: How is Harris doing as a communicator? When I was starting in politics, we didnt have women. Wren: This book is in some ways a tell-all about the role of a political consultant. With Bill de Blasio, that was a different situation. David Freedlander writes about politics and culture. The entire time Buttigieg has pitched himself as a unifier, Lis Smith has been right by his side. 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. Traveling Press Secretary at Lunsford-Stumbo 2007 from February 2007 to . And although Smith would never say it, it plays on political reporters' narcissism, too. 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. It is my passion. Smith: Yes. These results are automatically generated from Google. He was out there. "Joe Biden has had one of the most successful. 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 think now more than ever, people need to understand how the media works. It was a long shot. It meant a lot to me as a woman to have someone like that. The Democratic bench isnt going to be found on Meet the Press every Sunday, and its not going to be found on cable news. 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. And its going to be really important to have a woman sort of leading the charge on these issues, who is able to really empathize with the despair a lot of women are feeling.