This is America’s first male “second woman” – VG

The story was written three times when Kamala Harris won with Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. She will be the first woman, the first African American, and the first Indian-American vice president.

But the man behind Kamala also gets historic: Harris’s husband, Doug Emhoff, becomes the country’s first “second gentleman.” At least that’s the informal name that the American media give it. Until now, the role has always been called “second lady,” the informal title that Karen Pence holds today.

The 56-year-old entertainment lawyer and father of two already stopped his professional career during the election campaign to work full time to secure Harris’ election victory.

He himself has said that he is not overly political, but for the Washington Post, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has referred to him as “Kamala Harris’s secret weapon.”

Has influence

Being the vice president’s spouse does not imply formal power, but it is nevertheless a position that implies influence, since one is close to both the president and the vice president.

It is also not uncommon for the “other woman” to give speeches and attend events. And while the vice president is in charge of the Senate, it will be Emhoff’s responsibility to organize lunches and events for the senators’ wives.

Several “other women” have used influence to focus on matters of the heart. USA Today writes that Karen Pence has so far used her efforts to generate initiatives for the families of military employees. It has also highlighted art therapy. Pence is a part-time teacher at a Christian school in Northern Virginia.

The BBC writes that Emhoff is expected to use his influence to draw attention to the need for criminal law reform. Both Harris and Emhoff are attorneys. His friends, however, say that his main goal will be to raise his wife.

– Doug is involved in this to support Kamala, says his friend Alex Weingarten.

Director Barbara Perry of the Department of Presidential Studies at the University of Virginia praises Emhoff for doing what former second women were expected to do, that is, take on the role of full-time “second gentleman.”

– This is a first step towards equality for the spouses of politicians. We’re not used to men having to put their careers on hold for their wives, he says.

Jumped on stage

Emhoff and Harris first met on a blind date in 2013, which was arranged by Harris’s best friend when Harris was a state attorney in California. Emhoff had then divorced his ex-wife Kerstin Emhoff, with whom he has two children. Harris and Emhoff married in 2014.

Although he has mainly had a supporting role, Emhoff has distinguished himself for several years as the follower of Kamala Harris.

Only when he ran for Senate in 2016 and then also in the primary campaign where Harris tried to become president. Emhoff has repeatedly campaigned for just Harris, which Perry describes as a positive sign.

“It was one of the Kennedy family secrets,” he told The Guardian.

The 56-year-old became an internet hit when he jumped on stage to protect Harris from a protester who had jumped on stage and taken his microphone away when he was running for president in 2019.

He has also made a name for himself on social media, including when he defended his wife when Donald Trump Jr., Donald Trump’s son, retweeted a message that she was not really a black American. This is because his parents come from Jamaica and India.

He describes himself as “Dad, husband of Kamala Harris, aspiring golfer, supporter of justice and equality” on Twitter.