'Second Gentleman' Isn't Keeping His Job

Jill Biden was the first vice president's spouse to hold a paying job while their other half was in office—but Doug Emhoff won't be following in her footsteps. The 56-year-old husband of vice president-elect Kamala Harris will be leaving law firm DLA Piper before Inauguration Day, the campaign confirmed Wednesday. Emhoff, who will be the first "second gentleman" in American history, has long been a high-profile entertainment lawyer, but he took a leave of absence from the firm when Harris was named as Joe Biden's running mate in August, reports the Washington Post.

The campaign says Emhoff, who married Harris in 2014, will be focusing on his White House role, though he has yet to disclose what issues he plans to deal with. "We've been waiting for this sort of gender switch for decades now," Kim Nalder, a professor of political science at California State University-Sacramento, tells the AP. "There is a lot of symbolism from a man stepping back from his high-powered career in order to support his wife's career." DLA Piper has lobbied the federal government on behalf of corporate clients including Comcast and Raytheon, so Emhoff is also avoiding potential ethical issues. (Jill Biden, meanwhile, plans to keep her job after she becomes first lady.)