Lis Smith is one of the few political consultants who can approach the celebrity level of their clients. An opinionated, sometimes pugilistic presence in Democratic politics (and online), she is best known for engineering Pete Buttigieg’s overachieving 2020 primary run. But Smith already had an extensive résumé before that, including running rapid response for Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection and serving as a spokesperson for Bill de Blasio, before a romance with former governor Eliot Spitzer got her fired. Later, she advised — and defended — Andrew Cuomo during the thick of the sexual-harassment allegations that ended his governorship before turning against him sharply. Since releasing a campaign memoir in 2022, Smith has worked for Michigan senate hopeful Mallory McMorrow, among others, and is now advising a new organization, Majority Democrats, that aims to expand the party’s electorate. I spoke with her about Zohran Mamdani’s star-making campaign, how Democrats bungled 2024, and who she has her eye on for 2028.

You have been very critical of Andrew Cuomo’s mayoral campaign. What do you make of what he’s been doing out there? This has been an unimpressive effort — did he lose his political touch at some point?
Look, he earned the nickname “The Prince of Darkness” for a reason. He’s channeling the side of him that people call Bad Andrew, where he will do basically anything he can do to hold on to power. And what we’re seeing is a very dark campaign that appeals to the worst aspects of humanity and is closing on the most pessimistic note possible. Laughing about Zohran Mamdani cheering on 9/11; standing with Eric Adams when he talks about radical Islamists burning down churches; having supporters run ads with the word “jihad” over Zohrani Mamdani’s face. Contrast that with Mamdani, who has run an issue-based, positive, sunny campaign. I think New Yorkers ultimately will choose a positive, sunny campaign over Andrew.

Wasn’t Cuomo always like this, on some level?
You really see someone’s character when they’re cornered. And with me, with other advisers, you really saw that at the end, when he was called on to resign and when he was faced with the threat of impeachment. That’s what you’re seeing right now. His general-election campaign is, I would note, much darker than his primary campaign was. His real character is coming out right now, and I think it’s the character of someone who should not be handed the reins of power again.

You’re somebody who’s pretty familiar with young talent in the Democratic Party. Was Mamdani on your radar before this race?
No. In October of last year, my friend Eric Koch, who is a Democratic consultant, told me, “You’ve gotta keep an eye on this Zohran Mamdani guy. I really think he could be the nominee.” I thought he was crazy, but I remember just being lights-out impressed by him, especially in the debates. Generational talents don’t come around that often — that’s why they’re called generational talents. I talk about Bernie Sanders’s socialism as DSA 1.0. AOC is DSA 2.0. I think Zohran Momani is DSA 3.0, where he’s less into demonizing political opponents and people who disagree with him and more interested in engaging with people who have different viewpoints. You’ve seen him do interviews on platforms and with media outlets that are not exactly DSA friendly — Fox News, The Bulwark.

He’s done the podcast circuit.
Yeah, Flagrant.  And he has run a very positive, issue-based campaign at a time when Democrats have gotten into a trap of only talking about Donald Trump and not offering up big ideas. I think there’s something Democrats on every part of the spectrum can learn: That you shouldn’t just run against Donald Trump, and that you need to offer an affirmative vision. And if you do that, people will rally around you, even if you are an unknown 33-year-old member of DSA.

On a somewhat similar note, there’s the Maine Senate race, where we’ve got Graham Platner, who is, in a way, a perfect test case of various questions surrounding the........

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