Kamala Harris’s family won’t be standing beside her on the debate stage Tuesday night.
Nor will they be grilled on policy or cross-examined on their legislative record.
And yet, they are — nonetheless — very much in the spotlight, their lives open to scrutiny, dissection and debate.
For the longest time, seemingly all political families aspiring to call 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue home needed to look one way: nuclear.
Harris’s family is not. Hers is non-traditional, multiracial and complicated.
In a word, normal.
And that’s why each of them is proving to be a major asset.
It’s not that her husband, Doug Emhoff, stole the show with a note-perfect speech at the Democratic National Convention last month.
Nor is it because her stepchildren Cole and Ella are proving to be a powerful force on social media, unlocking young voters for the Harris-Walz ticket.
Rather, it’s simply the fact that they exist as a genuine, relatable family unit that has laid the perfect strategic trap.
And Republicans have walked straight into it.
The more right-wing commentators and candidates decry Harris’s mixed-race family and criticize her husband’s previous marriage while simultaneously supporting a twice-divorced man with a history of extramarital affairs, launch “weird” diatribes about “childless cat ladies,” (not to mention bullying Tim Walz’s son), serve to reveal just how out of touch the MAGA movement is with the modern American family.
But more importantly, these misguided attacks open the door for Democrats to execute two key strategies.
First, to seize upon the rhetoric of “freedom.” Traditionally the mantle of the Republican party, the Harris-Walz ticket has successfully reclaimed the concept.
In his convention speech, after sharing the story of how he and his wife turned to fertility treatments to conceive their first child, Walz declared, “I’m letting you in on how we started a family because this is a big part about what this election is about. Freedom. When Republicans use the word freedom, they mean that the government should be free to invade your doctor’s office.”
Democrats, he countered, have a better message: “Mind your own damn business.” A sentiment Harris has effectively echoed in response to personal attacks.
Second, with all its diversity and complexity, Harris’s family allows her to connect with a broader range of Americans. Voters know Trump’s story inside and out. Harris, on the other hand, is still being introduced to much of the country and her family adds depth to that introduction.
The fact is voters don’t just want politicians to represent their interests — they want them to reflect their own lives and experiences.
It has long been an article of faith that reflection needed to look like “Leave It to Beaver.”
And then everything changed. Now it looks like something quite different — more diverse, modern, and in tune with the realities of today’s families.
Drawing back to what I argued in this space about Tim Walz last month, it’s this personal connection that transforms a candidate from a distant figurehead into someone authentic — who can credibly claim to understand the values and struggles of everyday people. When a candidate says they know what it’s like to make tough family medical decisions or to navigate the complexities of being a working stepmom raising a blended family, it allows them to connect with voters on a deeper, more personal level.
Crucially, it’s from this foundation of authenticity that a candidate can more effectively address wider issues — the pinch of rising grocery bills, the weight of health-care costs, and the stress of finding affordable child care.
Once this foundation is built strong, people won’t just show up at the polls to tick your name — they’ll stay with you.
Politics may be a team sport, but it’s also a family affair.
That family can either be a powerful asset or a potential liability. Kamala Harris’s family, non-traditional as it is, has proven to be the former — a reflection of modern America that resonates beyond politics. And, as a result, come January 2025, the new first family of the United States might look more reflective of the nation’s evolving identity than ever before.