CHICAGO (AP) — Kamala Harris has a husband, Doug Emhoff, who could make history as America’s first gentleman spouse. Two stepchildren who call her “Momala.”
A politically connected sister who is a top adviser and sounding board. A brother-in-law who temporarily stepped away from a top private sector gig to help elect her. A niece who is the mother of two daughters that Harris dotes on. There’s also her husband’s ex-wife, who defends Harris and Emhoff and their blended family.
They’ve been popping up around Chicago and on social media this week during the Democratic National Convention, where Harris will formally accept the party’s presidential nomination.
Emhoff, 59, is already the first second gentleman of the U.S. and the first Jewish spouse of a U.S. president or vice president. He has been a leader of the Biden administration’s efforts against antisemitism. Emhoff gave up a lucrative career as an entertainment and intellectual property lawyer in California to avoid conflicts of interest and support his wife after she became vice president.
In a speech to the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night, Emhoff told the story of how he and Harris met on a blind date in 2013; she was California’s attorney general at the time. They wed in 2014, her first marriage and his second. Emhoff has two adult children, Ella and Cole, from a previous marriage and they call Harris “Momala.”
Ella Emhoff: Stepdaughter
Ella, 25, is the daughter of Emhoff and his first wife, Kerstin.
Ella is an artist, model and fashion designer who lives in New York. Her parents named her after jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald. She’s a 2021 graduate of The New School’s Parsons School of Design in New York. She made her debut at the annual Met Gala in 2021 in a red mesh bodysuit and matching pants by Stella McCartney. After her dad’s convention speech, she flashed a heart figure made with her hands. Ella recently drew criticism after posting on a personal social media account a fundraising link to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees.
Cole Emhoff: Stepson
Cole, 29, is the son of Emhoff and his former wife.
Cole is a film assistant and producer at Plan B Entertainment, a production company in Los Angeles that was co-founded by Brad Pitt. His parents named him after saxophonist John Coltrane. He introduced his father to the convention on Tuesday night as “the glue that keeps this family together.” Cole graduated from Colorado College in 2017 with a degree in psychology. Harris officiated in October 2023 when Cole married longtime girlfriend Greenley Littlejohn.
Maya Harris: Sister
Maya, 57, is the vice president’s younger sister and her only sibling. She talked about her sister’s “fighting spirit” and instinct to protect the people she’s close to in a brief video shown during the convention. Maya is a lawyer, policy advocate, speaker and writer who chaired her sister’s 2020 presidential campaign. She then became a national surrogate for the Biden-Harris ticket after her sister became Joe Biden’s running mate. In 2016, she was a senior adviser for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Maya lives in California and New York with her husband, Tony West.
Tony West: Brother-in-law
West, 59, recently went on leave from his job as Uber’s chief legal officer to work on Harris’ campaign. West spoke about his sister-in-law at the convention on Wednesday night, telling delegates that she is motivated “by a belief in equal opportunity.” He has advised Harris’ campaigns since her race for San Francisco district attorney in 2003, and has accompanied her on some recent trips. A graduate of Stanford University law school, West was general counsel of PepsiCo before he joined Uber in 2017. He served in the Justice Department under Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. West and Maya Harris met at Stanford and married in 1998.
Meena Harris, Alexander Hudlin, Jasper Emhoff, Arden Emhoff: Nieces and Nephews
Meena, 39, is Maya Harris’ daughter from a previous relationship. She is the founder and CEO of Phenomenal, a consumer and media company. Meena is also a lawyer, author and theater producer who worked on her aunt’s 2020 presidential campaign. She lives in the California Bay Area with her husband, Nikolas Ajagu, and their daughters Amara, 8, and Leela, 6. The vice president likes to dote on her young nieces and recently took them for ice cream at model Tyra Banks’ new shop in Washington, D.C. Meena and the vice president share an Oct. 20 birthday.
Meena Harris arrives at the Baby2Baby Gala, Nov. 13, 2021, in West Hollywood, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)