--- title: What to Know About Kamala Harris’ Husband Doug Emhoff description: A career lawyer, a voice against antisemitism, and a family man—Doug Emhoff could be the first First Gentleman. canonical: https://time.com/7001806/doug-emhoff-career-family-life/ author: Chad de Guzman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-07-23T14:39:03.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-19T07:44:52.321Z article:section: Politics og:title: What to Know About Doug Emhoff, Prospective First Gentleman og:description: A career lawyer, a voice against antisemitism, and a family man—Doug Emhoff could be the first First Gentleman. og:url: https://time.com/7001806/doug-emhoff-career-family-life/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt27caf43c6746b9d9/698a5911929fadb020bfcc5f/GettyImages-2151654170.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: President Biden Hosts WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces At The White House og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: What to Know About Doug Emhoff, Prospective First Gentleman twitter:description: A career lawyer, a voice against antisemitism, and a family man—Doug Emhoff could be the first First Gentleman. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt27caf43c6746b9d9/698a5911929fadb020bfcc5f/GettyImages-2151654170.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # What to Know About Doug Emhoff, Prospective First Gentleman > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=0f69c46e-6e6a-4644-885c-5d7db994ee2d&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: ‘I Know Donald Trump’s Type’: Harris Launches New Attack as She Takes Over Campaign [Watch (HLS stream): ‘I Know Donald Trump’s Type’: Harris Launches New Attack as She Takes Over Campaign](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/uP2elX9g.m3u8) (5:25)  _Published 2024-07-23. Vice President Kamala Harris had a busy 24 hours after being endorsed as the Democratic presidential candidate by President Joe Biden. Rallying staffers at Biden’s campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, now hers to inherit, Harris emphasized her professional background as a prosecutor._  by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Reporter Jul 23, 2024 2:39 PM UTC Vice President Kamala Harris had a busy 24 hours after being endorsed as the Democratic presidential candidate by President Joe Biden. Rallying staffers at Biden’s campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, now hers to inherit, Harris emphasized her professional background as a prosecutor.  by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/)  ## Chad de Guzman Reporter Jul 23, 2024 2:39 PM UTC If Vice President Kamala Harris [is the Democratic candidate](https://time.com/7001125/kamala-harris-endorsements-biden-bill-hillary-clinton/) and beats Donald Trump in the November presidential election, her victory would be historic in many ways—including her husband Doug Emhoff becoming the country’s first-ever First Gentleman. After President Joe Biden announced he would [drop out of the race](https://time.com/7001028/why-joe-biden-stepped-down/) and instead endorsed Harris as his replacement on the Democratic ticket, Emhoff praised the President and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, in a statement on [X](https://x.com/SecondGentleman/status/1815197730471305630) Sunday night. “I am deeply grateful to @POTUS and @FLOTUS for their years of friendship and support,” he wrote. “President Biden is a true patriot who leads our nation with honesty, decency, and integrity. Alongside @VP, they have fought tirelessly for families and communities, delivering for Americans across our nation. I am so proud of their accomplishments and thankful for their leadership.” In the past three and half years as Second Gentleman, Emhoff has pursued a small policy portfolio under the Biden Administration, revolving around his practice of law and his Jewish identity. Now that Harris is on her presidential campaign, the spotlight is also on Emhoff and how he might craft an unprecedented role as First Gentleman. Here’s what you need to know about Emhoff. ## Family life Emhoff was born in Brooklyn to Mike and Barbara Emhoff on Oct. 13, 1964 and raised in Old Bridge, N.J., with siblings Jamie and Andy. When Emhoff was 16, he and his family moved to Los Angeles, Calif. Emhoff earned a bachelor’s degree in communication studies in [1987](https://w2.csun.edu/node/400) at California State University - Northridge and a J.D. from University of Southern California Gould School of Law in [1990](https://gould.usc.edu/news/gould-alum-becomes-first-ever-second-gentleman/). Emhoff married film producer Kerstin Emhoff in 1992, and they have two children: Cole, 29, and Ella, 25\. The couple divorced after 16 years of marriage. In 2013, Emhoff met Harris, then California attorney general, on a blind date. “The morning after our first date, Doug emailed me a list of his available dates for the next couple of months,” Harris [wrote](https://www.facebook.com/KamalaHarris/photos/the-morning-after-our-first-date-doug-emailed-me-a-list-of-his-available-dates-f/10159354651332923/?paipv=0&eav=AfZrvJaPvv-ghQque3VMKwQ%5Fw%5FCZSMjK3YzGNHN9WPro-ADjCt3wnMADV9byJri0wkU&%5Frdr). “He said, ‘I want to see if we can make this work.’ We’ve been making it work ever since.” In an interview with [Stephen Colbert](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWS2zg1Nm%5FY) in May, Emhoff said it was “love at first sight.” Emhoff and Harris married in a Santa Barbara, Calif. courthouse on [Aug. 22, 2014](https://people.com/politics/doug-emhoff-kamala-harris-eighth-wedding-anniversary-tribute/), with Harris’ sister Maya officiating the ceremony. Harris has a close relationship with Emhoff’s kids, who call her “Momala.” ## Law career Emhoff has been a lawyer for over 30 years, focused on media, entertainment, and intellectual property. He rose up the ranks in major law firms like Venable LLP, representing clients including the pharmaceutical company Merck and the arms dealer Dolarian Capital in a case related to the sale of weapons to Afghanistan, [the New York _Times_ reports](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/08/us/politics/doug-emhoff-kamala-harris-law.html). While at Venable, Emhoff won one of his most high-profile cases—a decades-long battle [over the Taco Bell chihuahua](https://www.businessinsider.com/doug-emhoff-kamala-harriss-husband-taco-bell-chihuahua-case-2020-8). When Harris won a Senate seat in 2016, Emhoff moved to Washington D.C. with her, and found a job as a partner in DLA Piper in 2017, where he had earned as much as [$1.2 million](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-17/biden-harris-incomes-dropped-in-2020-tax-returns-show) per year. With Harris’ inauguration as Vice President in 2021, Emhoff [left DLA Piper](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/us/doug-emhoff-harriss-husband-will-leave-his-law-firm.html). But he didn’t leave law behind: he joined the Georgetown Law Faculty in January 2021\. He has also applied his legal expertise in helping the Biden Administration in its initiatives to facilitate and simplify legal aid. “He is an advocate for access to legal aid and removing barriers – legal, social, and financial – to ensure that every person can get the help they need to arrive at justice,” the White House [writes](https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/douglas-emhoff/#:~:text=As%20a%20lawyer%20for%20over,need%20to%20arrive%20at%20justice.) in Emhoff’s biography. Representing the Biden Administration, Emhoff led delegations to [South Korea](https://www.osan.af.mil/News/Photos/igphoto/2002995266/) and the [Philippines](https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1177583), and promoted the Biden-Harris policy agendas and COVID vaccination pushes. Emhoff maintains an office at the White House Eisenhower Executive Office Building. ## Antisemitism advocacy Emhoff also made history as the first Jewish spouse of a U.S. President or Vice President, and he has embraced his identity, helping the Biden Administration in its fight against antisemitism. He has convened Jewish leaders for what the White House called a first-of-its-kind roundtable on antisemitism awareness, and as Second Gentleman, he has criticized [Donald Trump](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/21/us/politics/doug-emhoff-trump-antisemite.html) and [Kanye West](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-12-03/second-gentleman-calls-ye-s-anti-semitism-personally-painful) for their antisemitic remarks. After the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel and the subsequent assault by Israel in Gaza, Emhoff [spoke](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/10/11/remarks-by-president-biden-and-second-gentleman-douglas-emhoff-at-roundtable-with-jewish-community-leaders/) before Jewish leaders: “We witnessed a mass murder of innocent civilians,” he said. “It was a terrorist assault, and there is never any justification for terrorism. There are no two sides to this issue.” ## Transcript [00:13] I of it. Delaware. [00:28] It is so good to hear our president's voice. [00:32] Joe, I know you're still on the call. [00:34] And we've been talking every day. [00:36] You probably you guys heard it from Doug's voice. [00:39] We love Joe and Jill. [00:41] We really do. They truly are like family to us. [00:44] And we everybody hear. [00:47] It's Mutual. I knew you were still there. [00:52] You're not going anywhere, Joe. [00:54] I'm watching your kid. I'm watching your kid. [00:56] I love it. I love you. Oh. [01:02] And I know it's been a roller coaster, [01:05] and we're all filled with so many mixed emotions about this. [01:09] I just have to I love Joe Biden. [01:11] I love Joe Biden, and I know we all do, [01:13] and we have so many darn good reasons for loving Joe Biden. [01:18] And I have full faith that this team is the team will be the reason we win in November. [01:24] You all who are here. [01:26] And as Julie always says, [01:28] and I will quote the great Julie, [01:30] we are one team, one fight. [01:34] One fight. [01:36] And so, again, I am a firsthand witness from being with him in [01:40] the Oval office to [01:41] the situation room and seeing him on the global stage with world leaders. [01:47] President Joe Biden fights for the American people, [01:50] and we are deeply, [01:52] deeply grateful for his service to our nation. [02:10] Joe, are you watching? You hear this clapping? [02:14] Can you see it? I'm watching. [02:17] I'm watching. I know it. [02:20] You love me. You're the best kid. [02:28] And let us be very clear. [02:31] Joe is not done. Far from it. He knows. [02:34] There is still more work to do, [02:36] and our nation will continue to praise [02:39] his bold and visionary leadership as president. Thank you, Joe. [02:43] Thank you. [02:47] And it is my great honor to have Joe's endorsement in this race. [02:53] You do. [02:57] And it is my intention to go out and earn this nomination. And to win. [03:07] So in the days and weeks ahead, I together with you, [03:11] will do everything in my power to unite our Democratic Party, [03:16] to unite our nation, [03:19] and to win this election. [03:21] As many of you know, before I was elected as Vice President, [03:25] before I was elected as United State Senator, [03:28] I was the elected attorney general, [03:30] as I've mentioned in California, [03:31] and before that I was a court room prosecutor. [03:33] In those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds. [03:37] You [03:50] Predators [03:52] who abused women. [03:54] Fraudsters who ripped off consumers. [03:57] C cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. [04:01] So hear me when I say, [04:04] I know Donald Trump's type. [04:08] And in this campaign, [04:10] I will proudly I will proudly put my record against his. [04:19] It is this team here that is going to help in this November to elect a majority of [04:26] members of the United States Congress who agree [04:29] the government should not be telling a woman what to do with her body. [04:34] And when Congress passes a law to [04:38] restore reproductive freedoms as president of the United States, [04:43] I will sign it into law. [04:47] So, ultimately, to all the friends here, [04:51] I say, in this election, we know. [04:53] We each face a question, [04:56] what kind of country do we want to live in? [04:59] A country of freedom, [05:01] compassion, and rule of law? [05:04] Yes. [05:05] Or a country of chaos, fear and hate. [05:09] Oh. So in the next 106 days, we have work to do. [05:15] We have doors to knock on. [05:17] We have people to talk to, [05:19] we have phone calls to make, [05:21] and we have an election to win. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7001806/doug-emhoff-career-family-life/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7001806/doug-emhoff-career-family-life/"},"headline":"What to Know About Doug Emhoff, Prospective First Gentleman","datePublished":"2024-07-23T14:39:03.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-19T07:44:52.321Z","description":"A career lawyer, a voice against antisemitism, and a family man—Doug Emhoff could be the first First Gentleman.","url":"https://time.com/7001806/doug-emhoff-career-family-life/","keywords":["2024 Elections","Explainer","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt27caf43c6746b9d9/698a5911929fadb020bfcc5f/GettyImages-2151654170.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Chad de Guzman","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt27caf43c6746b9d9/698a5911929fadb020bfcc5f/GettyImages-2151654170.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"President Biden Hosts WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces At The White House","caption":"President Biden Hosts WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces At The White House","creditText":"Andrew Harnik/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/2024-election/","name":"2024 Elections"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7001806/doug-emhoff-career-family-life/","name":"What to Know About Doug Emhoff, Prospective First Gentleman"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"‘I Know Donald Trump’s Type’: Harris Launches New Attack as She Takes Over Campaign","description":"Vice President Kamala Harris had a busy 24 hours after being endorsed as the Democratic presidential candidate by President Joe Biden. 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