Meet the members of VP Kamala Harris’ family: Election 2024

CHICAGO (AP) — Kamala Harris has a husband, Doug Emhoff, who might make historical past as America’s first gentleman partner. Two stepchildren who name her “Momala.” A politically linked sister who’s a prime adviser and sounding board. A brother-in-law who quickly stepped away from a prime non-public sector gig to assist elect her. A niece who’s the mom of two daughters that Harris dotes on. There’s additionally her husband’s ex-wife, who defends Harris and Emhoff and their blended household.

They’ve been popping up round Chicago and on social media this week in the course of the Democratic Nationwide Conference, the place Harris will formally settle for the celebration’s presidential nomination.

A have a look at members of Harris’ blended household:

Doug Emhoff: Husband

He would turn out to be America’s first first gentleman if his spouse is elected president.

Emhoff, 59, is already the primary second gentleman of the U.S. and the primary Jewish partner of a U.S. president or vp. He has been a pacesetter of the Biden administration’s efforts in opposition to antisemitism. Emhoff gave up a profitable profession as an leisure and mental property lawyer in California to keep away from conflicts of curiosity and help his spouse after she grew to become vp.

In a speech to the Democratic Nationwide Conference on Tuesday evening, Emhoff advised the story of how he and Harris met on a blind date in 2013; she was California’s lawyer normal on the time. They wed in 2014, her first marriage and his second. Emhoff has two grownup kids, Ella and Cole, from a earlier marriage they usually name Harris “Momala.”

Ella Emhoff: Stepdaughter

Ella, 25, is the daughter of Emhoff and his first spouse, Kerstin.

Ella is an artist, mannequin and clothier who lives in New York. Her dad and mom named her after jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald. She’s a 2021 graduate of The New College’s Parsons College of Design in New York. She made her debut on the annual Met Gala in 2021 in a pink mesh bodysuit and matching pants by Stella McCartney. After her dad’s conference speech, she flashed a coronary heart determine made along with her fingers. Ella lately drew criticism after posting on a private social media account a fundraising hyperlink to the U.N. Reduction and Works Company for Palestinian Refugees.

Cole Emhoff: Stepson

Cole, 29, is the son of Emhoff and his former spouse.

Cole is a movie assistant and producer at Plan B Leisure, a manufacturing firm in Los Angeles that was co-founded by Brad Pitt. His dad and mom named him after saxophonist John Coltrane. He launched his father to the conference on Tuesday evening as “the glue that retains this household collectively.” Cole graduated from Colorado School in 2017 with a level in psychology. Harris officiated in October 2023 when Cole married longtime girlfriend Greenley Littlejohn.

Maya Harris: Sister

Maya, 57, is the vp’s youthful sister and her solely sibling. She talked about her sister’s “combating spirit” and intuition to guard the individuals she’s near in a short video proven in the course of the conference. Maya is a lawyer, coverage advocate, speaker and author who chaired her sister’s 2020 presidential marketing campaign. She then grew to become a nationwide surrogate for the Biden-Harris ticket after her sister grew to become Joe Biden’s operating mate. In 2016, she was a senior adviser for Hillary Clinton’s presidential marketing campaign. Maya lives in California and New York along with her husband, Tony West.

Tony West: Brother-in-law

West, 59, lately went on depart from his job as Uber’s chief authorized officer to work on Harris’ marketing campaign. West spoke about his sister-in-law on the conference on Wednesday evening, telling delegates that she is motivated “by a perception in equal alternative.” He has suggested Harris’ campaigns since her race for San Francisco district lawyer in 2003, and has accompanied her on some current journeys. A graduate of Stanford College regulation faculty, West was normal counsel of PepsiCo earlier than he joined Uber in 2017. He served within the Justice Division below Presidents Invoice 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 earlier relationship. She is the founder and CEO of Phenomenal, a client and media firm. Meena can be a lawyer, creator and theater producer who labored on her aunt’s 2020 presidential marketing campaign. She lives within the California Bay Space along with her husband, Nikolas Ajagu, and their daughters Amara, 8, and Leela, 6. The vp likes to dote on her younger nieces and lately took them for ice cream at mannequin Tyra Banks’ new store in Washington, D.C. Meena and the vp share an Oct. 20 birthday.

Hudlin and Jasper Emhoff and Arden Emhoff spoke about their “auntie” on the conference on Wednesday evening. Hudlin referred to as her a “baller” and mentioned “she’ll elevate us up.” Jasper Emhoff mentioned Kamala Harris will make time “for what issues” although “nobody is busier than my auntie.” Arden Emhoff mentioned Harris will deal with everybody with respect as a result of, “whilst a child, auntie made me really feel that I used to be seen, that my phrases are necessary, that I’m necessary and beloved.”

Kerstin Emhoff: Doug’s former spouse, Ella and Cole’s mom

Kerstin, 57, is a movie producer and co-founder and CEO of a business manufacturing firm and a inventive studio in California. She is attending the Democratic conference and produced a brief introductory movie about her former husband that was proven earlier than he spoke on the conference on Tuesday evening, in line with her social media posts. Kerstin and Doug married in 1992 and break up in 2009, however stay on good phrases. Ella, their daughter, has described the Emhoffs and Harris as a “three-headed parenting machine.” Kerstin has stood up for his or her blended household and lately defended Harris after Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance’s earlier feedback resurfaced about “childless cat girls” who run the U.S. authorities. She additionally defended Doug after he acknowledged an extramarital affair that he mentioned contributed to the breakup of their marriage.

Shyamala Gopalan and Donald Harris: Kamala’s and Maya’s dad and mom

Gopalan was a famend breast most cancers scientist who got here to america from India at 19. She earned a Ph.D. from the College of California, Berkeley, in 1964. She and Donald Harris, who was born in Jamaica, met there as graduate college students who participated within the civil rights motion. They obtained married in 1963 and had two daughters, however had divorced by the point Kamala Harris was 7. Gopalan died of most cancers in 2009 at age 70.

Donald Harris, 85, grew to become a outstanding economist. He was an economics professor at Stanford College from 1972 to 1998, and at the moment is a professor emeritus. He additionally was an financial marketing consultant to the federal government of Jamaica and several other of its prime ministers.

Republicans have tried to tie Donald Harris’ writings on Marxist theories to their very own false claims that the vp is a communist. However his educational work additionally had a extra pragmatic bent about choices for attaining progress.

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Related Press author Josh Boak contributed to this report.