Doug Emhoff, Poking Fun at Himself, Talks Up Kamala Harris

The second gentleman drew on his relationship with Kamala Harris in his speech at the Democratic convention, telling a story about a bumbling voice mail message he left her early on.

Share full article

VideotranscriptBackbars0:00/1:22-0:00

transcript

Doug Emhoff told the story of how he met Kamala Harris and left her a voice mail message that she saved — and makes him listen to every year on their anniversary.

In 2013, I walked into a contentious client meeting. We worked through the issue, and by the end of the meeting, the now happy client offered to set me up on a blind date — [laughter] which is how I ended up with Kamala Harris’s phone number. Now, for generations, people have debated when to call the person you’re being set up with. And never in history has anyone suggested 8:30 a.m. And yet, that’s when I dialed. I got Kamala’s voicemail, and I just started rambling. “Hey, it’s Doug. I’m on my way to an early meeting. Again, it’s Doug.” I remember I was trying to grab the words out of the air and just put them back in my mouth. And for what seemed like far too many minutes, I hung up. By the way, Kamala saved that voicemail, and she makes me listen to it on every anniversary.

Doug Emhoff told the story of how he met Kamala Harris and left her a voice mail message that she saved — and makes him listen to every year on their anniversary.Credit

Doug Emhoff, the second gentleman, drew on his decade-old relationship with Vice President Kamala Harris in a passionate pitch for her candidacy on Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention, urging Americans to follow his lead in trusting her with their families’ futures.

Mr. Emhoff spoke directly to his wife during his address, expressing his admiration for how she has navigated one of the most tumultuous times in modern presidential politics. Soon after Mr. Biden dropped out of the race, Ms. Harris took the helm of the party, infusing enthusiasm and quickly reversing its fortunes.

“That’s who she is,” Mr. Emhoff said. “Whenever she’s needed, however she’s needed, Kamala rises to the occasion.”

Like other convention speakers who have been charged with reintroducing Ms. Harris to the American public, Mr. Emhoff pointed to her personal attributes and humanity. He said he had fallen in love with Ms. Harris the more he learned what drove her.

“It is what you have seen over these past four years and especially these past four weeks,” he said. “She finds joy in pursuing justice. She stands up to bullies just like my parents taught me to. She likes to see people do well, but hates when they are treated unfairly. She believes this work requires a curiosity in how people are doing. Her empathy is her strength.”

He also engaged in some self-deprecation, telling a story about how, fresh off a divorce and trying to navigate life with two children, he was presented with Ms. Harris’s phone number and the prospect of a blind date.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.