Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, poised to break stereotypes

In Biden White House, first ly wants to keep her job teaching and second gentleman plans to quit his law firm to support vice president’s career.When it comes to political marris, we've reached a new moment.Doug Emhoff, 56-year-old husband of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, will leave his private law practice by Inauguration Day to focus on his role at White House, a spokesperson said Tuesday. He’s said little so far about how he’ll approach role and is still working with transition team on what issues he'll tackle.

“We’ve been waiting for this sort of switch for deces w,” said Kim Nalder, a professor of political science who has focused on women and at California State University-Sacramento. She ded, “re is a lot of symbolism from a man stepping back from his high-powered career in order to support his wife’s career.”

Emhoff's decision to cut ties with DLA Piper also offered an early test of how a Biden ministration would avoid potential ethical issues. While Emhoff is t a lobbyist, firm has a large presence lobbying federal government on behalf of clients including Comcast, Rayon and government of Puerto Rico. He took a leave of absence from firm in August when Biden chose Harris, a U.S. senator from California, as his running mate.

While Emhoff built a career as a high-profile entertainment lawyer in Sourn California, he's been most visible to voters as Harris' supportive husband. He quickly befriended or political spouses in Democratic primary, when Harris sought party's mination.

“I want more women in office, and I want more partners, whoever ir partner is, to support m and to provide an opportunity and an environment for success,” Emhoff said in an October interview with digital site wThis News. He was t me available for an interview with Associated Press.

Chasten Buttigieg, husband of former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, said two quickly formed a friendship as y swapped stories about people y were meeting and ir strange “fish out of water" experiences as political spouses. Emhoff would compliment Chasten Buttigieg on his speeches at events and never approached him as a competitor.

“He was just re for right reasons," Chasten Buttigieg said. “It was because he loved his wife, and he thought that she would make a great president."Buttigieg, who also would have broken barriers as a male presidential spouse, said he remembered how often he was asked what title he would use, a question that seemed frivolous. (Emhoff hasn’t officially selected his title. But Biden has referred to him as “second gentleman.”) Buttigieg expects Emhoff to thrive in his new job as a public servant.

“You just have to be someone that people can see mselves in," he said. “People love chatting with him and getting pictures with him. He's always full of d jokes and he's really disarming."Emhoff embraced his role as a political surrogate during campaign. He will be first Jewish spouse of a president or a vice president, and he was a prominent liaison to Jewish groups and dors.

He also developed a close friendship with Jill Biden, a former second ly, and two campaigned toger frequently in states including Iowa and New Hampshire during primary. Jill Biden has said she wants to keep teaching at a community college, as she did when Joe Biden was vice president.Harris on Monday tweeted a photo of herself and Emhoff smiling on night Biden was anunced winner of election.

“Meet love of my life," she told her 11 million followers.It was Emhoff who filmed a video of Harris calling Biden after news of ir win, which she shared on social media.Harris and Emhoff met in 2013 and married a year later. It was Harris’ first marri and Emhoff’s second; his children are in ir 20s and call Harris “Momala," a play on her name and a Yiddish word for “little mor."

two were set up by a friend, and Harris recalls scrutiny she faced as a single woman in her 40s and her hesitance to be public about her relationships in her memoir, “ Truths We Hold." She first brought Emhoff out in public to a 2014 speech about a truancy initiative she'd pursued. Her team would refer to everything that came next as A.D. — After Doug.“y knew how much he me me laugh. I did, too," she writes.

Harris was attorney general of California at time, and Emhoff was practicing law as a managing director for West Coast branch of Venable LLP, handling clients in entertainment industry with a focus on tremark disputes and intellectual property. He'd previously represented clients including Merck, Walmart and an arms-dealer based in Fres, California, clients that today seem out of step with progressive wings of Democratic Party.

When Harris began her term in U.S. Senate in 2017, Emhoff moved to DLA Piper, which h a presence in Washington and Los Angeles, where Harris and Emhoff split ir time. More recently, he’s represented clients including a production company and a prominent winemaker. John Bessler, husband of Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is also a lawyer, called Emhoff a “modern man" for dedicating time to Harris' political career over his own.“This is just ar example of how supportive he's being of Kamala," he said.

(Im Credit: AP) 

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