Kamala and Douglas: A modern love story amidst political scrutiny

Kamala Harris is the first woman in history with a real chance to occupy the US presidential seat. The politician has travelled a long road to reach her current position.

Apart from examining her career, voters and the global media are delving into the lives of the candidates. Donald Trump's story is essentially an open book. What is known about Kamala Harris? The Democratic presidential candidate has been married for ten years. Before meeting Harris, Douglas Emhoff was in a long-term relationship that ended due to his affair.

Douglas Emhoff and his first wife, film producer Kerstin Mackin, had two children. The relationship fell apart after several years due to Emhoff's infidelity. He allegedly cheated on Mackin with his daughter's teacher – the woman became pregnant but "did not keep the child." According to the Daily Mail, Emhoff's affair led to the breakdown of his first marriage.

"During my first marriage, Kerstin and I went through tough times because of my actions," he stated in a declaration to CNN. He assured that he took responsibility for his actions. "In the later years, we worked through it as a family and came out stronger," Emhoff wrote.

After the divorce, Douglas went on a blind date with Kamala Harris, with whom he fell in love.

Foreign media report that Emhoff comes from a Jewish family. Harris, on the other hand, attended a Baptist church and is also familiar with Hindu traditions. Despite cultural differences, Douglas and Kamala quickly found common ground.

On 22 August 2014, the future US presidential candidate and lawyer got married.

- I feel it very strongly; each of us has a family connected by blood ties and also a family through love. I have both. I consider it a true blessing, - Harris said in the podcast "Call Her Daddy".

It should be noted that Kamala Harris was criticised by Republicans, who pointed out that the politician does not have her own children.

- I love these children to death. Family takes many forms, and I think we increasingly understand that it's no longer the fifties, - Harris remarked, referring to her husband's biological offspring.

Kamala Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican economist and an Indian cancer research specialist. The politician's parents had two daughters - Kamala and Maya. Unfortunately, their marriage did not stand the test of time, and when they divorced, Kamala was seven years old.

The girls' mother decided to raise her daughters on her own. Kamala greatly respected the religious ceremonies of both her parents; thus, she attended services at both the Baptist church and the Hindu temple. From an early age, fighting for minority rights was important to Harris; these values were instilled in her by her mother and father.