Kamala Harris Presidential Run Could Make Doug Emhoff First Gentleman

If Kamala Harris wins the US presidential election, she will make history as the first woman president in the United States, and her husband Doug Emhoff will become the first-ever First Gentleman.

The ebullient 59-year-old lawyer has already become accustomed to breaking new ground alongside his trailblazing wife, who is also 59. Emhoff has embraced his role as the first Second Gentleman, energetically campaigning and fiercely defending Harris during her initially challenging tenure as the first female, Black, and South Asian vice president.

Additionally, Emhoff is the first Jewish spouse of an American president or vice president, and he has played a very visible role in President Joe Biden’s administration, particularly in combating anti-Semitism.

He is enthusiastic about following in the footsteps of famous Democratic first spouses like Jackie Kennedy, Michelle Obama, and Jill Biden, but as the first man to hold the role. He is not, however, the first prospective First Gentleman—a title previously claimed by former president Bill Clinton during his wife Hillary Clinton’s unsuccessful 2016 run.

“I’m honored now to have my wife be at the top of the ticket,” Emhoff said recently on a podcast.

Emhoff recounted that the sudden change in Harris’s political fortunes caught him off guard. He was at the gym with his phone off when Joe Biden announced his decision to drop out of the race, resulting in a flood of missed texts and calls, including from Harris. “Never leaving my phone in the car again,” he joked on X.

‘Despicable Attack’

The rapid shift in the Democratic ticket has raised questions about whether America is ready to overcome racism and sexism to elect a Black woman president. Emhoff, too, would represent a significant paradigm shift. Republicans have already started attacking him, partly based on race.

Harris’s campaign recently condemned “Trump’s despicable attack against the Second Gentleman” after Trump agreed with an interviewer who referred to Emhoff as a “crappy Jew.” Trump himself then accused Harris of disliking Jewish people.

Despite the attacks, Emhoff has shown resilience. “Mr. Trump, I know you have so much trouble pronouncing her name,” Emhoff said in a recent video, referring to Trump’s habit of mispronouncing Kamala. “After the election, you can just call her Madam President.”

An entertainment lawyer, Emhoff met then-California Attorney General Harris on a blind date in 2013, and they married a year later. This made Harris a stepmother to Emhoff’s son and daughter from his previous marriage, Cole and Ella, who affectionately call her “Momala.”

In 2020, Emhoff took a leave of absence from his law firm to campaign for Harris in her presidential bid. In January 2021, he officially became the Second Gentleman. Emhoff admits the transition was challenging, particularly due to leaving the career he loved. He shared that President Biden was supportive, often acknowledging the difficulty of the transition.

High-Profile Role

Since becoming Second Gentleman, Emhoff has taken on a high-profile role, especially in addressing anti-Semitism following the October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel. At the same time, Harris has been vocal in urging Israel to ease the suffering in Gaza, effectively bridging a deep divide in the Democratic Party.

With Biden out of the race, Emhoff has become even more public. He will lead the US delegation to the closing of the Paris Olympics and is standing in for Jill Biden at an upcoming fundraiser. He has also become popular on social media, with a photo of a 20-year-old Emhoff with a full head of hair going viral.

However, the increased visibility has also brought more attacks from Republicans. These include sexist criticism of Harris for not having her own biological children, in apparent retaliation after Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance faced backlash for comments about “childless cat ladies.” Emhoff called Vance’s comments “abhorrent” and “stupid.”

In a rare public defense, Emhoff’s ex-wife Kerstin Emhoff spoke out, describing Harris as “loving, nurturing” and condemning the “baseless attacks” against her.