Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff used part of his speech at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday to share a little more about his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris – including the uncomfortable story of how the two met.
Attorney Emhoff said a client gave him Harris’ phone number and offered to arrange a blind date with him.
“For generations, people have debated when to call the person they are being set up with. And no one has ever suggested 8:30 a.m.,” Emhoff joked.
“And yet I called anyway. Kamala’s voicemail was called and I just started babbling.”
He feigned an awkward voice as he remembered the voicemail he had left: “Hey, this is Doug. I’m on my way to an early meeting. Again, this is Doug.”
“I remember trying to grab the words out of the air and put them back in my mouth. And it felt like it took me far too many minutes to hang up.”
“By the way, Kamala saved that voicemail and she lets me listen to it on every anniversary,” he added, eliciting great laughter from the crowd gathered in Chicago.
Emhoff’s speech comes at a time when the Democratic Party is trying to familiarize the American public with Harris, who served a relatively quiet vice presidential run alongside Joe Biden but made herself available as the party’s presidential nominee when Biden withdrew his re-election bid.
Emhoff continued, “This news was not the only unusual thing that day.” Harris happened to be home and called back as Emhoff was eating lunch at his desk, something he rarely did.
The two talked, he said, and laughed.
“You know that laugh! I love that laugh!” Emhoff told the crowd.
He later said that when he met Harris, he understood “what drives her.”
“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 hates to see them treated unfairly,” he said, adding, “Her empathy is her strength.”
The couple will soon celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary, Emhoff noted, acknowledging that he has to listen to the horrific voicemail again.
While Emhoff’s children, Ella and Cole, sat in the audience in Chicago, Harris was on his way back from Wisconsin, where she and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, had held a rally. However, Air Force Two circled before landing in Chicago so Harris could continue to listen to her husband’s speech in the booth.
According to a pool report, cheers broke out on the plane: “DOUG! DOUG! DOUG!”
