Kamala Harris’ Stepchildren May Feature at DNC

A senior organizer of the Democratic National Convention has suggested Vice President Kamala Harris’ stepchildren may appear at the event in Chicago this week.

Speaking to MSNBC’s Jen Psaki for an Inside report, Minyon Moore, the chair of the Democratic National Convention Committee, discussed how planning the event changed after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race last month and Harris replaced him at the top of the Democratic Party’s ticket.

“It wasn’t as hard as people thought it was,” Moore said. “I think it was probably more a shock to people. But she was always built into this convention from beginning to end. So what we really had to do was change names. We had to start looking at what she wanted, what she believed in.”

Moore added that Harris’ husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, and his family would also be included in the convention.

“We’ll introduce her husband. We’ll see his family,” she said. Emhoff shares two children—Cole, 29, and Ella, 25—with his ex-wife, Kerstin Emhoff, to whom he was married for 16 years.

Newsweek has contacted the Democratic National Committee and the Harris campaign for comment via email.

Moore didn’t go into detail about what role Emhoff and his family would play at the convention, but the Republican National Convention in July showed that young family speakers can have a significant effect on drawing out the family qualities and warmth of presidential candidates.

At last month’s event, Kai Trump, the 17-year-old granddaughter of former President Donald Trump, took to the stage to share the personal side of the Republican nominee, whom she described as “just a normal grandpa.”

A similar ploy could play out well for Harris should either or both of her stepchildren take to the lectern. Discussing the planning of the convention, Moore told Psaki, “One of the things that I think we should do and we have an obligation to do is to introduce her and Governor Walz to the American people in a way that they probably haven’t seen her.”

Harris is said to have a close relationship with her stepchildren, who call her “Momala,” and she has previously spoken of her disappointment at having to miss her stepdaughter’s high school graduation because of her duties in Washington.

The vice president’s blended family has also staunchly supported her amid Republican attacks. After footage of Ohio Senator JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, calling Harris and other members of the Democratic Party “childless cat ladies” resurfaced, Ella Emhoff pushed back.

“How can you be ‘childless’ when you have cutie pie kids like Cole and I?” she said in an Instagram story. “I love my three parents.”

Her mother, Kerstin Emhoff, also weighed in on the issue, saying in a statement: “For over 10 years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and I. She is loving, nurturing, fiercely protective, and always present. I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it.”

Another key part of the Democratic National Convention will be Harris’ commitment to her Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Moore said, teasing that a “lot of pink and green”—the organization’s colors—would be seen at the event.

Mirroring the Harris campaign’s utilization of social media to appeal to young audiences, the convention is welcoming more than 200 content creators alongside traditional media outlets.

“We know so many people, especially young people—they’re not necessarily watching television. They’re not reading a physical newspaper. Those trusted voices that they turn to for their news and information are these folks online, on TikTok and YouTube and Instagram. So we’re bringing them here,” Alex Hornbrook, the Democratic National Convention Committee’s executive director, told Psaki.

On the topic of celebrity performers, the organizers remained tight-lipped, with Moore telling Psaki that “anything could be a surprise.”