Vice President Kamala Harris married Doug Emhoff in 2014 after basically a one-year courtship. Sparks flew right away between Kamala and Doug, and he had been divorced from his first wife since 2008. Doug and his ex-wife Kerstin Emhoff (she kept his name) already had a good relationship and were coparenting successfully. When Doug married Kamala, Kerstin embraced her immediately and became one of Kamala’s biggest supporters. Kamala became a stepmother to Doug and Kerstin’s two kids, who were teenagers at the time, and there are still good vibes all around this blended family. Kerstin even attended the inauguration in 2021, as did Cole and Ella Emhoff.
Well, now that Kamala Harris is the Democratic presidential candidate, there’s a lot of talk in Republican circles about how “Kamala isn’t a mother” and “she’s never given birth.” No American president has given birth, why does that matter? And the whole “stepmothers are not mothers” thing is pretty bold, given the sheer number of blended families in America. Well, Kerstin Emhoff decided to chime in.
The ex-wife of second gentleman Doug Emhoff on Wednesday defended Vice President Kamala Harris against sexist criticisms about her lack of biological children, calling them “baseless” and expressing her gratitude for the presumptive Democratic nominee.
“These are baseless attacks. For over 10 years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and I,” Kerstin Emhoff said in a statement first provided to CNN. “She is loving, nurturing, fiercely protective, and always present. I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it.”
Emhoff’s statement follows resurfaced video of Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance criticizing several public figures, including Harris, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives.”
“It’s just a basic fact — you look at Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, AOC — the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children,” Vance told Tucker Carlson in a July 2021 interview.
I know everyone has different family situations and I’m not judging if this isn’t your particular situation with your partners’ exes or what have you, but it speaks volumes to me that Doug’s ex-wife is ride-or-die for Doug’s current wife. It speaks volumes to me that Kerstin, Kamala and Doug are all each other’s biggest champions and that they all hype each other and look out for one another. I love this energy! Speak on it, Kerstin!
Don’t Stop Can’t Stop https://t.co/dV7TmdxTrZ
— Kerstin Emhoff (@keprettybird) July 22, 2024
Photos courtesy of Kerstin Emhoff’s Instagram, Cover Images.