Even TMZ got in the act LEO DICAPRIO OFFERED BUTTIGIEG HELP DURING 2020 RUN, trumpeted the chyron. Political strategist Lis Smith reveals in her new book how The Post exposed that she was dating prostitution-loving former Gov. But it has a clear parallel to Smiths relentless scheduling of meetings between Buttigieg and reportersan audaciously direct way to connect with reporters that bought the campaign pretty good press. He knows the importance of building up our bench. Wren: How is the Lis Smith depicted in this book different from the Lis Smith in the popular political imagination? Eight hundred have showed up. What I realized from my time working in politics is how much mystery there still is around this industry. There may be nobody more central to Mayor Petes media successbesides the candidate himself, and arguably his social-media-savvy husband, Chasten Buttigiegthan Smith, who serves as a communications adviser and all-around aide. He was out there. And I agree with him that you cant get sucked up in the game. Our resort was more Leave It to Beaver than Debbie Does Dallas,' she claimed. Its that everyday when I go into work to try and get these people elected its because it will impact lives. I think hes a really good person. It was as horrible as Id anticipated and seeing the photos of Eliot and me taken in what wed thought were private moments was even more disturbing, knowing they were on display to anyone who cared to look, she writes in the 304-page tome. [19], In 2021, Smith worked closely with then-governor Andrew Cuomo, and advised him on how to respond to the sexual harassment allegations against him. A few weeks ago, a couple of hundred people expressed interest in this event. The Buttigiegs announced last month that they were engaged in the adoption process. 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. But the Post discovered where they were. Maybe a story that would be 80-20 bad you can get down to 60-40 bad, and that little bit is worth it.. She did, however, date a married. Win or lose, she's turned an unknown into a serious . Despite that having been some years ago, Jeff appears to support Smith and her recent endeavors. | James Devaney/GC Images. He was a once-in-a-generation talent, someone who perfectly met the moment. I should know: Last October, I had my own intimate, off-the-record encounter with Mayor Pete. Maybe theres still time for me to choose a new life path because I felt extremely disillusioned. And so much of my book is about the power of belief and the element of belief that it takes to succeed in professional football, in politics, and hes the one who brought that belief back for me, and brought my love my pure love of politics back for me. We just had the Supreme Court decision on abortion. 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. Wren: Youre often credited with vaulting Pete from the mayor of Indianas fourth-largest city to a member of Bidens cabinet. I have a really close-knit group of friends who have nothing to do with politics. (For the record, I can totally envision him sitting on the floor singing Kumbaya just not for me. In real life, I have a really close-knit family. Our meeting was part of a strategy, one run with surprising sophistication and efficacy for a candidate whose highest-profile gig so far is a local office in the fourth-biggest city in Indiana. "[30] Some critics felt that it minimized her role in discrediting the sexual assault allegations against Cuomo. Is it your relationship with reporters and cable bookers? Just before he was sworn in, de Blasio yielded to Peysers prodding and cut Smith loose just before he moved into the mayors office. Fantasy football we were competitive about that. Lis Smith, Buttigieg's top communications adviser . That is not the typical relationship of adviser to political principal, but typical is not a word people use about Smith. You dont reach out to the 35-year-old gay mayor of South Bend, Indiana, because you think it will be an easy ride.. Smith: We check in here and there. And it was the first time Id worked in politics that Id ever felt that way. 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. I worked in states like South Dakota, Missouri, Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia. [39] Time and Politico included her on their lists of the best political Twitter feeds. When they gave me the job I thought, first of all this job exists? 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. Wren: You write pretty transparently in the book about times youve been fooled by a candidate. Andrew Cuomo, had turned into a Nicorette-chomping ahole who ruined the lives of his staffers after letting national fame get to his head during the coronavirus pandemic. And maybe I shouldve gone to law school. 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. Political strategist Lis Smith reveals in her new book how The Post exposed that she was dating prostitution-loving former Gov. My advice is just go out there more, communicate more. Most people do have corny sides to them. After 20 campaigns flacking for candidates such as Transportation Secretary and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, former Virginia Gov. Wren: Youre a very competitive person. So it was just sort of the perfect confluence of all these things where that yin and yang dynamic got us together. Except then it didnt. That cut both ways during the campaign for Buttigieg, particularly when a white police officer killed a Black man in South Bend. Less than 24 hours after announcing the end of his marriage, former Gov. 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. 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. She is not letting Buttigieg read her book, Any Given Tuesday: A Political Love Story, ahead of publication day. 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. 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. ELIOT AND DeBABE blared the cover of the New York Post, which ran several photos of the pair on its inside pages and in a column from the acid-tongued Andrea Peyser which called Smith not just any ordinary bimbo and called her an ambitious, youngish cookie who presumably does not charge Eliot for any services rendered., Eliot Spitzer and Lis Smith at a Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden in 2014. Lis Smith on Pete Buttigieg's campaign bus during a. Did I think hed sit on the floor with me and sing Kumbaya and tell me it would be all okay? [2] In 2014, she became a communication consultant for Adriano Espaillat's congressional campaign. 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. 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. We are humble and kind, to quote Tim McGraw. Im horrified. We needed to be the antidote to him. After his loss in the primary, Smith went to work on the winning election campaign and then the transition of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. But another thing is that Im not someone whos just worked in New York. TV news executives are calling, she says, emailing, now complaining that Buttigieg isnt doing their shows often enough. All Rights Reserved. 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. Wed gone down to Jamaica to get away from tabloid drama, not actively court it, Smith said. I was coming off some New York races where everything is just all-day personal attacks getting in the mud. She is 36, a year younger than Buttigieg, which, Thank God. 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. I knew from the beginningthat our relationship would be a big tabloid story when it became public. After the fundraiser, Buttigieg is going to rush off to 30 Rock to do Maddow, then in the morning New Day on CNN, and then fly to Iowa, then do Morning Joe when hes back. She has extensive experience in public affairs, media relations, and crisis communications at the local, state and national levels. I had to deal with candidates who, unfortunately, did not give me all the facts, and you cant effectively handle a crisis. She knew Axelrod from 2012, when she worked as director of rapid response for President Barack Obamas reelection effort. 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. Andrew Cuomo's. Your Bengals fandom and their Super Bowl run is a part of the book. Did I think I was going to walk into his office and tell him that I was dating Eliot Spitzer? Thats a pretty ballsy thing to do. AFP via Getty Images She dished about the former mayor's. Smith: I think Ive got good relationships with people in the media. She advised a couple of governors still left in office, and started taking on more nonprofit clients. [11][12] In 2018, Smith became spokeswoman for Andrew Cuomo's successful re-election campaign, who had endorsed the political entity. She is operating on two and a half hours of sleep, having just arrived back in New York on a charter jet from South Bend, Indiana, after Buttigieg announced he was running for president. [44] Smith plays the violin.[44]. I am a liberal Democrat, but I was so into the McCain thing. The photographer also snapped Spitzer leaving Smiths apartment early the next morning wearing a skullcap and hooded sweatshirt, Not exactly the wardrobe of an innocent man, she notes. Smith: All the good candidates are comfortable in their own skin. Smith: Joey Burrow is an incredible leader. They lead with emotion. 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. 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