Kamala Harris’s Husband Douglas Emhoff Could Be the Nation’s First “Second Man”

Lauren Hubbard
6 min read
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Photo credit: NOAH BERGER - Getty Images
Photo credit: NOAH BERGER - Getty Images

From Prevention

Former Vice President Joe Biden just announced Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate in his 2020 presidential campaign. If elected, her husband, entertainment lawyer Douglas Emhoff, would become the nation’s first Second Gentleman. Here, we take a look at Emhoff’s background and chart his consistent support for his wife’s political career.

Emhoff supported his wife through her presidential run.

After months of competing in the crowded field of democratic candidates for the 2020 elections, California Senator Kamala Harris announced on December 3 that she would be ending her presidential campaign.

In the wake of the announcement, Harris’s husband Douglas Emhoff continued to prove himself to be one of the sweetest political spouses on the scene by sharing a picture on his Twitter account of himself holding his wife with the caption, “I’ve got you. As always.”

This is far from the first time Emhoff has shared supportive messages for his wife on his social media; in fact, he’s made something of a name for himself on the campaign trail for his affection and positivity. Here’s everything you need to know about him and his love story with Harris.

He’s an entertainment lawyer.

Photo credit: David Livingston - Getty Images
Photo credit: David Livingston - Getty Images

Though he was born in Brooklyn, New York, California has arguably had the biggest impact on Emhoff’s life. Hhe graduated from the University of Southern California's Gould School of Law, and met and married his wife on the left coast, and it's where he now works as a partner at DLA Piper Law Firm.

According to the company’s profile of him, Emhoff, “Represents large domestic and international corporations and some of today’s highest profile individuals and influencers in complex business, real estate and intellectual property litigation disputes.”

One such dispute, according to The Hollywood Reporter, had Emhoff representing the ad agency TBWA in an early 2000s lawsuit over the rights to the chihuahua featured in Taco Bell’s “Yo Quiero Taco Bell” ads.

The 54-year-old now reportedly splits his time between California and D.C., as well as traveling with his wife to help with her campaign. “With all this other stuff that’s happening in my life right now, it’s great to have [my practice,] because it’s something that I love and I’m good at,” he told THR.

He has two kids from a previous marriage.

His son, Cole, is a graduate of Colorado College and his daughter Ella is a studying Fine Arts at Parsons School of Design. Though both kids appear to be staying out of the political spotlight for now, both Emhoff and Harris (whom they reportedly refer to as “S-Mamala”) remain close and make time for them. Emhoff even took some time off the campaign trail this year to spend spring break with Ella.

He and Harris met on a blind date.

A few years after Emhoff’s divorce from his first wife, PR consultant Chrisette Hudlin set the two up while Harris was serving as California’s attorney general. They immediately hit it off and after a little over a year of dating, Emhoff proposed to her by getting down on one knee in Harris’s apartment.

They had a sweet, low-key wedding ceremony

Not a believer in long engagements, Harris and Emhoff held their ceremony just around four months after their engagement at the Santa Barbara Courthouse, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.

Harris wore a soft gold dress and a cellist playing in the background while the couple exchanged vows they had written themselves. They honored one another’s cultural traditions with a flower Garland placed around Emhoff’s neck, as is common in Indian weddings, and the breaking of a glass at the end of the service to mark Emhoff’s Jewish heritage. The ceremony was presided over by Harris’s sister, Maya.

He is close with his family.

An active Twitter user, Emhoff frequently tweets to and about his family, including congratulations to his parents on their wedding anniversary and pictures with his brother and sister on National Sibling’s Day.

He’s very supportive of Harris’s political ambitions.

While some might find the life of a candidate’s spouse a little overwhelming, Emhoff fully embraced the experience when Harris started her run, telling THR that the experience had been “endlessly fascinating.” The majority of his social media posts afterward were in support of Harris’s campaign, and his twitter biography even describes him as “@kamalaharris hubby.”

He’s friendly with fellow political spouse Chasten Buttigieg.

Emhoff has interacted a few times with Chasten Buttigieg, the husband of candidate Pete Buttigieg, on social media, commenting on one post in March that, “Ok, I thought I had pretty good 2020 Spouse Twitter game....good job @Chas10Buttigieg!”

They also posted a selfie together in April, taken during a commercial break for a CNN Town Hall, fueling some fans who were hoping to see a Harris-Buttigieg team up if one of them secured the 2020 candidacy.

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