Doug Emhoff, husband of Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, said Thursday that Democrats have to do more than defeat President Trump in November.
“We need to do more than win," Emhoff said during a virtual meeting for the Democratic National Committee's LGBTQ Caucus. "We need a mandate to show this president doesn't define who our country is."
It was Emhoff’s first full public remarks since Harris, a Democratic senator from California, was named presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s running mate this month, with Emhoff touting the Biden-Harris ticket one day after she officially accepted the VP nomination.
Emhoff argued that the Democratic ticket will help the U.S economy and work to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
"Now, it should come as no surprise to you that in addition to being a great mom, I am confident that my wife Kamala Harris will make a great vice resident," he said. "I can go on and on and on about what she and Joe are going to do in the job. How they're going to get this virus under control. They're going to fix our economy and make sure it rewards work instead of just wealth. And they're going to build this country back better than ever before."
“But lots of people can tell you what Kamala will do. I'm here to talk about who she is. Hopefully you heard about this in her speech last night, but if you want to understand Kamala, the first thing you need to know is she is the daughter of immigrants,” Emhoff added.
Harris spoke on the third night of the Democratic National Convention Wednesday, formally accepting the party's VP nomination. The California senator shared her story of being raised as a child of immigrant parents, with her father hailing from Jamaica and her mother from India.
Harris, who is of Jamaican and Indian descent, is the first Black woman and the first Asian American to join a major party’s presidential ticket. If elected, Harris would become the first woman and first person of color to serve as vice president.
Emhoff is a lawyer with DLA Piper. He recently announced he would be taking a leave of absence from his firm as Harris runs for vice president.
