From blind date to Momala: Kamala Harris' husband reveals their love story | Democratic National Convention

Kamala Harris Douglas Emhoff (Image: Reuters)

Vice President Kamala Harris' husband Doug Emhoff in an attempt to convince Americans to love her too after an equally whirlwind introduction told the crowd at day 2 of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago that he met Kamala Harris on a blind date.

The first "Second Gentleman" in US history highlighted the human side of the party's presidential nominee.

59-year-old Doug, who gave up his high-flying legal career to support Harris as vice president -- regaled them with the tale of how they met and how she then became the stepmother to his kids.

"I love you and I'm so proud of how you're stepping up for all of us," Emhoff said.

He said their personal history showed she was ready to be the country's first female commander-in-chief -- which would make him its first ever First Gentleman.

"Kamala Harris was exactly the right person for me at an important time in my life. At this moment in this nation's history she is exactly the right president."

Emhoff told the crowd how he and Harris were set up on a blind date by one of his legal clients as the crowd waved "Doug" signs.

The day after, Emhoff called Harris early in the morning, got her answerphone and "just started rambling. 'Heyyyy, it's Doug... I was trying to grab the words out of the air and just put them back in my mouth."

Harris, however, thought the message was "adorable", saved it, and they married the following year. Now she plays the message to him every anniversary, he said.

Their marriage made Kamala Harris a stepmother to Emhoff's then-teenage children Cole and Ella -- who both dubbed her "Momala".

Cole Emhoff introduced him on stage, after narrating a video showing snapshots from Emhoff's life and gently ribbing his dad.

His son said their "blended family wasn't used to politics," but when Harris became first a California senator and then vice president, they all stepped up.

"It felt like Doug was a bit out of place on Capitol Hill, I thought 'what is my goofy dad doing here?' But he embraced it."

(With agency inputs)