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Politics
Talia Lakritz
Updated
- Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff met on a blind date and married on August 22, 2014.
- Emhoff said meeting Harris was "love at first sight," and she's called Emhoff "the love of my life."
- Harris is running for president following Joe Biden's exit from the 2024 race.
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Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff could become the next president and first gentleman of the United States.
When President Joe Biden announced his exit from the 2024 race on Sunday, he also endorsed Harris to replace him as the Democratic nominee.
The nominee will officially be chosen at the Democratic National Convention in August.
Here's a look at Harris and Emhoff's love story.
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2013: Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff met on a blind date.
Doug Emhoff, an entertainment lawyer, had been married beforeto film producer Kerstin Emhoff. The couple shares two children, Cole and Ella, and divorced after 16 years of marriage.
Harris was serving as California's Attorney General.
The two were set up on a blind date by Harris' friend Chrisette Hudlin, who met Emhoff through work.
"The morning after our first date,@DouglasEmhoff emailed me a list of his available dates for the next couple of months," Harris wrote on Instagram on Emhoff's birthday in 2020. "He said, 'I want to see if we can make this work.' We've been making it work ever since."
Emhoff described meeting Harris as "love at first sight" in a 2020 Instagram post for her birthday.
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August 22, 2014: The couple wed in a ceremony officiated by Harris' sister Maya.
According to a profile of Emhoff by Marie Claire, he proposed during a "decidedly unromantic conversation (she was deliberating between chicken or shrimp pad thai)" less than a year after they met.
Harris and Emhoff held their wedding at a courthouse in Santa Barbara, California. Harris wrote in a 2019 Elle Mother's Day essay that she and Emhoff's children didn't like the term "stepmom," so they began calling her "Momala."
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2015: The couple attended the 2015 Vanity Fair Oscar Party together.
Others in attendance at the star-studded event included Beyoncé and Jay Z, Anna Wintour, Serena Williams, Oprah Winfrey, and Reese Witherspoon, Vanity Fair reported.
2016: Harris successfully ran for US senate, with Emhoff accompanying her to campaign events.
Emhoff came with her to vote at the Kenter Canyon Elementary Charter School Auditorium in Brentwood, California, in 2016.
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January 2017: Emhoff held the Bible for Harris' swearing-in ceremony as a US senator.
Then-Vice President Joe Biden administered Harris' oath of office. Harris later became Biden's vice presidential pick in his 2020 campaign.
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January 2019: Harris launched her presidential campaign with Emhoff by her side.
Harris launched her presidential campaign on the steps of Oakland City Hall, where 20,000 people attended theevent, SF Weekly reported.
"I'm not overly political," Emhoff later told Marie Claire of his involvement in her campaign. "I'm overly her husband."
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January 2019: Harris wrote about the early days of her courtship with Emhoff in her memoir, "The Truths We Hold."
Harris wrote about bringing Emhoff to a professional gathering with her for the first time while they were dating, prompting "whispers and pointing among my team."
"They would later refer to that era as AD — 'After Doug,'" she wrote of her colleagues. "They loved how much he made me laugh. I did, too."
June 2019: Harris and Emhoff attended the California Democratic Party State Organizing Convention together.
Harris greeted supporters outside the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
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August 2019: Emhoff snapped a selfie with Harris before her speech at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines ahead of the Iowa caucuses.
He showed off his Kamala phone case.
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December 2019: After Harris ended her presidential bid, Emhoff posted a supportive message on Instagram.
"I've got you@kamalaharris. As always," Emhoff captioned a black and white Instagram photo of him embracing her, complete with a heart emoji.
He later told Marie Claire's Jessica M. Goldstein, "She made that decision, and I would have supported whatever she decided. But I'm not her political advisor. I'm her husband. And so my role was to be there for her, to love her, to have her back, to talk it through, to help her."
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August 2020: Joe Biden announced Harris as his running mate. Both appeared with their spouses at their first press conference together.
The two couples observed social distancing in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic by standing 6 feet apart and air-hugging.
August 2020: Emhoff, who took a leave of absence from his legal firm, joined Harris at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.
The convention was held virtually due to the pandemic.
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September 2020: They held hands at a remembrance ceremony for the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Harris and Emhoff attended a memorial ceremony at the Fairfax County Public Safety Headquarters in Virginia on September 11, 2020.
October 2020: Emhoff gave Harris a masked kiss after the vice presidential debate.
Arguably, the most memorable part of the debate was when a gigantic fly landed on Mike Pence's head.
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November 2020: Biden and Harris won the presidential election, and Harris expressed her love for Emhoff in her victory speech.
Harris mentioned her husband and family in her victory speech introducing Biden.
"To my husband Doug, our children Cole and Ella, my sister Maya, and our whole family — I love you all more than I can express," she said.
Harris also shared a photo of herself with Emhoff on Instagram that night, captioned, "Meet the love of my life, Doug Emhoff."
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November 2020: Emhoff announced he planned to quit his law firm in order to focus on his role as second gentleman.
A spokesperson told AP News that Emhoff was leaving his position at DLA Piper to devote himself to the role of second gentleman.
"There is a lot of symbolism from a man stepping back from his high-powered career in order to support his wife's career," Kim Nalder, a political science professor at California State University-Sacramento, told the AP.
The move was likely also for ethical reasons — Emhoff is not a lobbyist, but his law firm does lobby the federal government on behalf of clients.
"Stepping back from my career as an entertainment lawyer was a decision that we made together — this was about something bigger than either of us," Emhoff wrote for GQ in 2021.
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November 2020: They went holiday shopping, where Emhoff proudly pointed to a "Madam Vice President" T-shirt.
Harris and Emhoff went shopping at a local holiday market in Washington, DC, for Small Business Saturday.
January 2021: Twitter, now known as X, created the first-ever official second gentleman account for Emhoff in the days before Harris' inauguration.
Hisbio described him as "Proud husband to Vice President-elect Harris."
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January 2021: In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning's Jane Pauley, Harris admitted that she Googled Emhoff before their first date.
"I've never been asked that!" Harris said after Pauley asked if she'd Googled Emhoff before their first date. "I did!"
Emhoff's mouth dropped open in surprise as Harris burst out laughing, affectionately touching his arm and calling him "Dougie."
The hilarious moment went viral, racking up nearly 1.5 million views on YouTube in two days.
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January 2021: Emhoff held two Bibles for Harris as she was sworn in as vice president.
One of the Bibles belonged to Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court justice. The other belonged to Regina Nelson, a family friend of Harris.
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March 2021: They disembarked from Air Force Two arm in arm on their first official trip.
Harris and Emhoff visited Las Vegas and Denver, stopping at their home in Brentwood, California, in between.
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April 2021: Harris and Emhoff moved into the official vice presidential residence after repairs to the property were completed.
Number One Observatory Circle has served as the official vice presidential residence since 1977. The home is located on the grounds of the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, where scientists collect astronomical data for accurate navigation.
Harris and Emhoff had been living in Blair House across from the White House while the historic home underwent repairs.
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February 2022: Emhoff wished Harris a happy Valentine's Day, writing on X, "Life is always brighter by your side."
"Life is always brighter by your side. Happy Valentine's Day, @VP," Emhoff wrote on X, accompanied by a heart emoji.
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July 2022: Emhoff told a group of students that leaving his law career to support Harris was a "no-brainer."
In July 2022, Emhoff spoke to participants in a summer camp run by Tools & Tiaras, a nonprofit in Queens, New York, that encourages women and girls to pursue careers in construction, about supporting Harris in her role.
"I think just by stepping away from my career that I love and I was actually very good at so I could support my wife, who was the first woman to become vice president, it was a no-brainer," Emhoff said. "With this big platform that I have and all the microphones and media and working in this great administration with all of these resources, I really decided to lean in on this issue of men supporting women, professionally and personally, so they can succeed, even if that means stepping away from my own career."
October 2022: Emhoff wished his "amazing wife" a happy birthday.
"Happy birthday to my amazing wife and the love of my life," Emhoff wrote on X. "I will always be right by your side. Love you, Kamala."
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July 2024: Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris as the new Democratic presidential candidate, renewing public interest in Harris and Emhoff's relationship.
After a disastrous debate performance in June that left Democrats panicked about his age and ability to serve a second term, Biden dropped out of the 2024 race and endorsed Harris.
If elected, Harris would be the first female president of the United States, and Emhoff would be the first first gentleman.
Emhoff accompanied Harris on her first visit to her new campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware. He posed with a "Harris for President" sign for an Instagram photo captioned, "Time to make history, @KamalaHarris."
"I am honored to have the president's endorsem*nt, and my intention is to earn and win this nomination," Harris said in a statement.
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