Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter Ella Emhoff is shown here during New York Fashion Week on Feb. 10, 2024, in New York City. Photo by Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

By Rebecca Massel July 22, 2024

As Democratic leaders and donors express support for and confidence in Vice President Kamala Harris as the potential Democratic presidential nominee following President Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race, her family, including stepdaughter Ella Emhoff, are back in the spotlight. 

Emhoff, the 25-year-old daughter of Doug Emhoff, the second gentleman, is a Parsons School of Design graduate; she has signed brand deals and modeling contracts with multiple companies, and started her own company in 2021. Her father is a proud Jew, but Emhoff was not raised as a Jew nor does she identify with the religion. This past year, she made headlines when she raised money for a relief group allegedly tied to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

While Ella Emhoff may help neutralize Democratic voters who were uncommitted to Biden due to his policy on Israel, her public actions related to the Israel-Hamas war may be used by the GOP to criticize Harris.

Who is Ella Emhoff, Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter?

Emhoff, named after Ella Fitzgerald, grew up in California with her older brother, Cole. Her parents divorced in 2008.

Emhoff and Cole said that the family has always been involved in politics, and were active in opposing Proposition 8 — a 2008 California bill proposition and amendment drafted by opponents of same-sex marriage. 

Doug Emhoff and Harris started dating in 2013. According to both Emhoff and Harris, the family has a positive relationship, with Harris and Kerstin Emhoff, Ella Emhoff’s mother, sitting together in the bleachers at Emhoff’s high school swim meets and basketball games.

In 2014, when Harris married into the Emhoff family, the stepchildren gave her a Yiddish-inflected nickname. “To my brother and me, you’ll always be ‘Momala,’ the world’s greatest stepmom,” Emhoff said in a video the day Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for vice president in 2020. “You’re a rock. Not just for our dad, but for three generations of our big, blended family.” In a 2021 Zoom interview with The New York Times, both Cole and Ella refer to the vice president as “Kamala.”

Is Ella Emhoff Jewish?

During the 2020 election, the Forward listed Emhoff on its Forward 50 list, as her father is Jewish, but she declined to participate. “Ella is not Jewish,” wrote Joseph David Viola, her spokesman.

Upon further inquiry, Viola explained that Doug Emhoff did not raise his children as Jewish, rather he embraced his religion later in life. “Ella truly has no qualms with the faith, but she does not want to speak on behalf of Judaism, as she does not celebrate herself,” the spokesperson wrote.

Emhoff’s inauguration dress was designed by a Modern Orthodox Jew

At Biden’s inauguration, Emhoff wore a Miu Miu tartan coat with orange crystals bedazzling the shoulders, with a burgundy Batsheva dress underneath. The coat immediately went viral and The New York Times labeled Harris’ stepdaughter as the “fashion world’s latest influencer-in-waiting.” Soon after the inauguration, she signed a modeling contract with IMG Models, one of the top modeling agencies worldwide. And, she also partnered with Batsheva Hay, owner of the clothing brand Batsheva, to launch a knitwear line, inspired by Emhoff’s passion for knitting. Hay identifies as Modern Orthodox and a “Jewish chameleon”; she created a clothing brand in 2016 that focuses on modest, vintage clothing.

In 2021, Emhoff emphasized her commitment to sustainable fashion when she signed with Adidas by Stella McCartney and wore their bright red outfit and red sneakers to the Met Gala. McCartney chose Emhoff to be the face of the Adidas Earth Explorer collection, which Emhoff agreed to because “I feel that Stella McCartney represents the future of fashion,” she told Vogue about McCartney’s focus on sustainability.

Adidas, whose founder was a Nazi, recently came under scrutiny when it launched a shoe memorializing the 1972 Munich Olympics with Bella Hadid, a pro-Palestinian activist. During the 1972 Olympics, the Palestinian militant organization Black September killed 11 members of the Israeli delegation. Amidst online backlash, Adidas revised their campaign, which marks the second time this year that they have backtracked due to criticism of antisemitism.

Adidas previously drew criticism for taking weeks to cut ties with Kanye West after his antisemitic tirade in 2021. It is now selling West’s Yeezy sneakers and says it will donate proceeds to fight antisemitism and other forms of hate.

What has Ella Emhoff said about Israel, Palestinians, and Gaza?

In November 2023, Emhoff added a link to her Instagram account for an “Urgent Relief for Gaza’s Children” fundraiser run by the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund, an Ohio-based organization. At the time, the fund raised nearly $8 million through that campaign, and Emhoff was slammed by the New York Post for failing to mention Israeli children who were murdered by Hamas on Oct. 7.

Then, in March 2024, two months after the United States cut funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency after allegations that UNRWA workers helped Hamas in the Oct. 7 attacks, Emhoff posted a link to donate to the UNRWA. The vice president’s stepdaughter, who at the time had 318,000 followers, removed the link after the New York Post inquired about it.

How might Ella Emhoff affect Kamala Harris’ run for president?

As with the 2020 election, when Harris ran for vice president, she and the Emhoffs represent a nontraditional American family, with diverse backgrounds and religions. In 2015, one in ten married American couples included partners of different races or ethnicities. So, the diversity of the Emhoff-Harris household, as well as Ella Emhoff’s clear warmth toward Harris, has the potential to attract voters who are themselves in such a relationship or have close family or friends in one.

President Biden faced backlash from many Democratic voters who felt he was too supportive of Israel, with anti-Zionist groups, like Within Our Lifetime, labeling him “Genocide Joe.” There has been growing frustration among some Democrats, particularly young voters, with Biden’s steadfast support of Israel as well as White House statements condemning pro-Palestinian protests throughout the country.

This past year, Harris has seemed more sympathetic towards the Palestinian cause. In March, she called for an “immediate cease-fire at least for the next six weeks,” the release of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza, and relief for Palestinians. And Emhoff — who has already used her Instagram platform to advocate for Palestinians on two occasions — could represent Harris’ inclusive respect for a range of views on the conflict.

Emhoff could also potentially sway pro-Palestinian voters to support her stepmother. As a recent college graduate, she has the power to appeal to left-leaning voters, especially college students, and galvanize them to endorse a presidential candidate whose views on Israel may differ from Biden’s. 

At the same time, the Trump-Vance campaign can use Emhoff’s history against Harris, especially her pro-Palestinian fundraising. As part of the GOP’s stance in support of Israel and their current crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests and higher education in America, the party may use Emhoff as the epitome of what they oppose.

Louise Keene contributed to this story.

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