World News – US – Meet Doug Emhoff, the very first American second gentleman

WASHINGTON – The proposed election of Kamala Harris as vice-president means many firsts for the California senator She will be the first black American, the first woman and the first person of South Asian origin elected to the post And her husband, Doug Emhoff, will be the first American second gentleman

Emhoff congratulated his newly-elected wife on social media on Saturday after Joe Biden was cast as the winner of the presidential race by FOX News and the Associated Press, posting an image on Twitter of their celebratory hug

Emhoff, 56, will also be the first person of Jewish faith to be linked with a winning presidential ticket

« Doug, you’re going to have to learn what it means to be a barrier-breaker yourself in this job, » former vice president and incoming president-elect Biden said in a speech to the nation on Wednesday night before. the start of the race

Emhoff is originally from Brooklyn and studied at California State University-Northridge and later USC Gould School of Law He opened his own law firm in 2000 before being taken over by Venable in 2006

California Senator Kamala Harris waves to her husband Douglas Emhoff (left) during a rally to kick off her presidential campaign on January 27, 2019 in Oakland, California (Photo by NOAH BERGER / AFP via Getty Images)

Harris and Emhoff were put together by close friend Chrisette Hudlin on a blind date in 2013, while Harris was California Attorney General In his memoir, “The Truths We Hold,” Harris wrote about the challenges of dating in the public eye, acknowledging that “dating was not easy” and that “single women in politics are viewed differently from single men. « 

The couple got engaged in 2014 and married at the Santa Barbara, Calif., courthouse later that year.The ceremony was presided over by Harris’s sister, Maya, who became the President of Harris’ presidential campaign

Emhoff has two children from a previous marriage, Cole and Ella In his memoir, Harris wrote about his friendship with his first wife, Kerstin, saying that « we sometimes joke that our modern family is almost a bit too functional ”He describes himself on his Twitter profile as“ Dad, husband @kamalaharris, lawyer, aspiring golfer, justice and equality advocate ”

Throughout Harris’ campaign, Emhoff largely kept a low profile until a viral moment put him in the spotlight when in June he helped remove a protester from the scene who had rushed harris

Shortly after the incident, Emhoff tweeted that he and Harris were « good » and that he « would do anything for her »

He slowly gained more national attention when he made his first solo appearance since Harris launched his campaign for the Democratic presidential primary in January In June, he spoke at the Florida Democratic Party Leadership Blue Gala in Orlando

Emhoff’s increasingly public role was reminiscent of the historic diversity of the Democratic field of the time, which included half a dozen women as well as an openly gay man and three years after Hillary Clinton became the first woman to run for president of a major party, it shows how the role of political spouses is evolving and produced the first ‘first American gentleman' »

Emhoff said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in March that he plans to continue working for his law firm, which also has offices in Washington, DC

« With all these other things going on in my life right now, it’s great to have [my practice] because it’s something that I love and am good at, » said he declared

Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States, Douglas Emhoff, Joe Biden, Second Lady