Averell Smith

Last updated
Averell Smith
Born (1958-11-18) November 18, 1958 (age 62)
San Francisco, California
OccupationPolitical Consultant, Public Relations Expert
Nationality American (United States)

Averell Smith (born November 18, 1958) is an American political adviser who has worked mainly for Democratic Party candidates and initiatives. He has worked on many state and national campaigns, either independently or as part of a consulting firm which he co-founded in 1997. [1]

Contents

Early life and education

Named after former New York governor and U.S. ambassador Averell Harriman, Smith was introduced to politics at a young age, working on his father Arlo Smith’s campaign for District Attorney of San Francisco. He campaigned for George McGovern for president in 1972 at age 13. [2] His first job was at a legal processor on Taylor and Market Streets in San Francisco, before working as a consultant for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in the 1980s. [1]

Career

Beginning in 1988, Smith began to focus his political work on opposition research, including work for Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago and Mayor Richard Riordan of Los Angeles. [2] He used the same methods to identify potential vulnerabilities of his own clients, for example in Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign. He unearthed a minor billing scandal in the Department of Water and Power involving incumbent Mayor James Hahn that helped his client Antonio Villaraigosa win the election. and provided members of the press with the roster of the Canadian football team the Hamilton Tiger-Cats after it was reported that Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo had falsely claimed to play for them, when Delgadillo was running against Smith's client Jerry Brown in the 2006 Democratic primary. [3]

Campaigns he has worked on include those of Doug Wilder (1989), Senator Patty Murray (1992), Senator Dianne Feinstein (1992), Senator Kent Conrad (1993), Congressman Richard Gephardt (1994-2002), California Governor Gray Davis (1998, 2002), Senator Barbara Boxer (1992-2010) and Howard Dean for President (2004). [4] In 2008, Smith led Senator Hillary Clinton's 9-point victory in California's Democratic primary by identifying key demographic groups like Latino voters and working women and concentrating his efforts on mail-in and other early voters. He oversaw the campaign in Texas, achieving a second surprising victory. [5]

Smith directed Antonio Villaraigosa’s winning underdog Los Angeles Mayoral campaign in 2005 and Jerry Brown’s winning campaign for CA Attorney General 2006. [6] He was State Director for Senator Hillary Clinton’s campaigns in CA, TX and NC in the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary. [7] In 2010 he was instrumental in San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris’s winning bid for California Attorney General and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s successful campaign for California Lt. Governor. He ran Ed Lee’s mayoral reelection campaign. After successfully contributing to the passing of Governor Jerry Brown's landmark tax legislation Proposition 30 in 2012, Smith was hired by Lenore Anderson, executive director of Californians for Safety and Justice and chair of the Proposition 47 campaign, and that measure succeeded at the polls as well. [8]

Activism

Smith and his wife Laura Talmus started Beyond Differences, [9] a non-profit based in San Rafael, California to honor their daughter Lili Smith, who died in 2009 from complications due to Apert syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes facial and cranial disfiguration and which consequently caused her to suffer from feelings of social isolation. [10] The organization endeavors to combat social isolation in young teens, by encouraging students to be aware of the possible social isolation of their peers, and to interact with them and draw them into their social circles. [11]

Related Research Articles

Jerry Brown 34th and 39th Governor of California

Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. is an American politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected Secretary of State of California in the early 1970s; Brown later served as Mayor of Oakland from 1999 to 2007 and Attorney General of California from 2007 to 2011. He was both the oldest and sixth-youngest governor of California due to the 28-year gap between his second and third terms. Upon completing his fourth term in office, Brown became the third longest-serving governor in U.S. history, serving 16 years and 5 days in office.

Gavin Newsom 40th Governor of California

Gavin Christopher Newsom is an American politician and businessman who is the 40th governor of California, serving since January 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California from 2011 to 2019 and as the 42nd mayor of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011.

Rockard John Delgadillo, known as Rocky Delgadillo, is an American politician. He is the former City Attorney of Los Angeles (2001-09).

Robert Hertzberg American politician and attorney

Robert "Bob" Myles Hertzberg is an American politician serving as Majority Leader in the California State Senate. He is a Democrat representing the 18th Senate District, which includes parts of the San Fernando Valley.

2002 California gubernatorial election

The 2002 California gubernatorial election was an election that occurred on November 5, 2002. Democrat Gray Davis defeated Republican Bill Simon by 5% and was re-elected to a second four-year term as Governor of California. Davis would be recalled less than a year into his next term.

Ricardo Lara

Ricardo Lara is an American politician who is currently serving as the 8th Insurance Commissioner of California. Lara was elected during the 2018 election, defeating former California insurance commissioner Steve Poizner.

Antonio Villaraigosa American politician

Antonio Ramón Villaraigosa is an American politician who was the 41st Mayor of Los Angeles, from 2005 to 2013.

2010 California Attorney General election

The 2010 California Attorney General election was held on November 2, 2010, to choose the Attorney General of California. The primary election was held on June 8, 2010. Incumbent Attorney General Jerry Brown, a Democrat, was elected Governor of California.

Peter Ragone III is an American public affairs expert, entrepreneur and investor active in a range of political, corporate and civic efforts. Since 2007, Ragone has started, advised and invested in companies.

2014 California gubernatorial election

The 2014 California gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 2014, to elect the Governor of California, concurrently with elections for the rest of California's executive branch, as well as elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

Nathan Ballard

Nathan Ballard is a U.S. Democratic strategist and attorney. He was the communications director for the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, when Newsom was the 42nd mayor of San Francisco. He is a longtime friend and advisor to Newsom. He sits on the board of directors of The Representation Project, Jennifer Siebel Newsom's nonprofit organization. Ballard had close ties with the 43rd mayor of San Francisco, Ed Lee. He was an advisor to Mark Farrell, the 44th mayor of San Francisco.

2016 United States Senate election in California 2016 U.S. senate election in California

The 2016 United States Senate election in California was held November 8, 2016, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of California, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

2018 California gubernatorial election

The 2018 California gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 2018, to elect the Governor of California. Incumbent Democratic Governor Jerry Brown was ineligible to run for reelection for a third consecutive term due to term limits from the Constitution of California.

2016 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection Wikimedia list article

This article lists potential candidates for the Democratic nomination for Vice President of the United States in the 2016 election. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic nominee for President of the United States, chose Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia as her running mate. The formal nomination took place at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. The Clinton-Kaine ticket lost the 2016 presidential election to the Republican Trump-Pence ticket, and Kaine returned to the Senate following the campaign.

2018 United States Senate election in California On November 6, 2018

The 2018 United States Senate election in California took place on November 6, 2018, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent California, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections.

2018 California lieutenant gubernatorial election Democrat Eleni Kounalakis won over Democrat Ed Hernandez as no Republican finished in top two of nonpartisan blanket primary

The 2018 California lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 2018, to elect the Lieutenant Governor of California. Incumbent Democratic Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom was ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits and ran for Governor of California instead. Democrats Eleni Kounalakis and Ed Hernandez faced each other in the general election, as no Republican finished in the top two positions of the nonpartisan blanket primary that was held on June 5, 2018.

2018 California State Treasurer election

The 2018 California State Treasurer general election was held on November 6, 2018, to elect the State Treasurer of California. Incumbent Democratic Treasurer John Chiang did not run for re-election to a second term and instead ran unsuccessfully for governor.

2020 United States House of Representatives elections in California House elections for the 117th U.S. Congress

The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in California was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the 53 U.S. Representatives from the state of California, one from each of the state's 53 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate, and various state and local elections.

References

  1. 1 2 Lazo, Alejandro. "California Firm Plays Outsize Role in State's Democratic Circles; SCN Strategies Worked Behind Scenes in Jockeying for Open U.S. Senate Seat" (5 February 2015). Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  2. 1 2 Johnson-Martin, Adrienne (6 May 2008). "The Queen's Ace". The New Republic. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  3. ↑ Acarian, Robert (3 May 2008). "He's the man to fear—unless he's on your side". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  4. ↑ Grove, Lloyd (3 October 2018). "Dean Has Ace Up His Sleeve". New York Daily News. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  5. ↑ Marinucci, Carla (1 March 2008). "Clinton's California ace takes fight to Texas". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  6. ↑ Marinucci, Carla (15 February 2008). "Clinton sends her 'stopper' to Texas". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  7. ↑ Livingston, Abby. "Clinton Hands Join Campaign To Replace Waxman". Roll Call.
  8. ↑ Abramsky, Sash (26 March 2015). "How California Voters Got So Smart on Crime". The Nation. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  9. ↑ "Bay Area students lead social change". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2018-03-10.
  10. ↑ Rodriguez, Adrian (9 February 2018). "No One Eats Alone Day Embraced at San Rafael Middle School". Marin Independent Journal. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  11. ↑ Stevens, Heidi (30 January 2015). "Beyond Differences asks kids to break bread with peers". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.