Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, told the uncomfortable story of how the couple met during his speech at the Democratic National Convention last night.
Emhoff, a lawyer, was set up on a blind date with Harris in 2013 by a client who gave him her phone number.
He then left her an unsteady voice message, which she now lets him listen to on every birthday.
“For generations, people have debated when to call the person they’re paired with. Never in history has anyone suggested 8:30,” Emhoff jokingly told the crowd.
Although Harris was unable to be in the audience to watch the speech, she shared a heartwarming photo of herself watching the speech on X, captioning it, “I love you, Dougie.”
Emhoff then retweeted the photo with just four words: “I love you too.”
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff speaks onstage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention
Kamala Harris and Emhoff arrive together for an official state dinner at the White House on April 10
Supporters cheer Emhoff as he talks about how he and Harris first met
“I got Kamala’s voicemail; I just started rambling, ‘Hey, I’m Doug. I’m on my way to an early meeting. Again, I’m Doug,'” he continued.
‘I remember trying to grab the words out of the air and put them back in my mouth, and for what seemed like way too many minutes, I hung up.
“By the way, Kamala has that voicemail saved and she makes me listen to it every birthday of my life,” he added.
Luckily for Emhoff, he won’t have to wait much longer this year, as the couple celebrates their 10th anniversary on Thursday, when Harris will speak at the convention in Chicago.
Emhoff told the audience that Harris called him back around lunchtime and that the two had a lot of fun together.
Just a year later they got married.
“You know that laugh! I love that laugh!” Emhoff said, referring to the criticism Harris has received for it.
He continued, “She finds joy in pursuing justice. She stands up to bullies, just like my parents taught me.”
“She likes to see people do well, but she hates it when they are treated unfairly,”
Emhoff’s children, Ella and Cole, were in the audience at the convention when their father gave his speech.
Kamala Harris with her husband and stepchildren Cole and Ella Emhoff
Delegates and attendees hold up ‘Doug’ signs during his speech at the convention
Emhoff, a lawyer, was set up on a blind date with Harris in 2013 by a client, who gave him her phone number (pictured together)
Emhoff told the audience that Harris eventually called him back around lunchtime and the two had a lot of fun together
The couple greets members of the Aliquippa High School football team during a campaign rally at their school on Aug. 18
He talked about how Harris cherishes her stepchildren and how she calls them while she is campaigning.
Emhoff said, “That’s Kamala. Those kids are her priorities, and that scene was a perfect map of her heart.
“She has always been there for our children and I know she will be there for yours too.”
Delegates are preparing to nominate Vice President Harris as their presidential candidate in place of President Joe Biden by the end of the week.
In June, Biden was still the candidate the Democrats wanted to nominate, but in early July this was called into question after his disastrous performance in the debate against Donald Trump.
On July 21, the president officially ended his reelection bid and endorsed Harris. A day later, she won the support of enough delegates to become the presumptive nominee for November.
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff leaves the stage after a speech during the second day of the Democratic National Convention
Emhoff will join Harris on the campaign trail on August 18
He told how Harris cherished her stepchildren and called them while she campaigned
Last night, Michelle Obama told the convention audience that Harris is “my girl” and called on the Democratic Party to unite behind her after Obama’s inner circle was accused of trying to throw Joe Biden out of the race.
She also launched a series of scathing insults at Donald Trump.
During a moment when she dropped the microphone to a wild response from the audience, she said of Trump, “Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s applying for right now might be one of those black jobs?”
The Obamas spoke while Harris was holding a rally 90 miles away, leading to speculation that the White House is angry about the role they played in Biden’s resignation.
Michelle declared that “hope is returning” as she entered the arena Tuesday night after Harris was formally declared the Democratic presidential nominee.