Kamala Harris’s Husband Is Quitting His Job to Become America’s First ‘Second Gentleman’
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
Kamala Harris made history on Saturday when she was announced to be the first female Vice President Elect in United States history. Not only that, but she is also the first Black and South Asian person to be elected to the office as well. And along with Harris’s victory comes another history-making change. Harris’s husband, Doug Emhoff, will be the first “Second Gentlemen” ever.
It was also just announced that Harris’s husband, Doug Emhoff, will be permanently leaving his job at the law firm DLA Piper by Inauguration Day.
He has been on a leave of absence since August, when his wife was announced to be Biden’s running mate.
The Associated Press reports that, while Emhoff is not a lobbyist himself (in fact, he is an entertainment lawyer), DLA Piper has previously lobbied on behalf of its corporate clients. Ethics experts said that the best course of action would be for Emhoff to resign as to not give the appearance of any possible conflicts of interest. And so he did.
Harris and Emhoff first met on a blind date set up by their mutual friend when Harris was still California’s attorney general.
Emhoff told Marie Claire that after their first date, he emailed her: “I really like you.” They married a little over a year later in a low-key courthouse ceremony.
Emhoff has always been candid about the way he approaches the relationships in his life. “My whole life has just been to support the people I love unequivocally, and they support me,” he said. “The whole [marriage] has been based on parity and mutual respect.”
Interestingly enough, Joe Biden’s wife, Dr. Jill Biden, will be the first First Lady to not give up her full time job. According to reports, Dr. Biden will continue to teach English and Northern Virginia Community College after inauguration day. That means neither presidential offices are being held to the confines of traditional patriarchal gender roles. We love it!
This person couldn’t help but put out a visual representation of history in the making:
We wonder if he’ll be forced to decorate Number One Observatory Circle for Christmas also?
This person pointed out how the “traditional” gender roles that politician’s spouses have played have flipped with Biden and Harris’s spouses.
We love to see it! Here’s to hoping for a First Gentleman next time.
This person made a hilarious joke about the double standards that the spouses of politicians face depending on their gender.
For example, we know that Emhoff will never catch flak for showing off his naked (gasp!) arms in public.
