Washington Post Calls Kamala's Husband Doug Emhoff A 'Sex Symbol’ And ‘Modern Female Fantasy'

If you get your election news from the Washington Post, you likely came across the following headline Friday morning:  "Doug Emhoff, modern-day sex symbol."

It's real. 

"Move over, Ryan Gosling. The modern female fantasy is embodied by the man who might soon become our first First Gentleman," author Catherine Rampell began.

"Emhoff appears to be a genuine mensch with an impressive career. He’s smitten with his wife and supports her ambitions, as is obvious from his convention speech and their sweet interactions on the campaign trail," she continued. 

"But most important for this sexy sobriquet: Emhoff is secure enough with his own masculinity to sometimes prioritize his wife’s ambitions over his own."

"What. A. Hunk."

Rampell can't get enough of Dougie, as Kamala calls him.

WASHINGTON, DC - Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff speaks onstage during a Pride Celebration hosted by the Vice President Of The United States and Mr. Emhoff in collaboration with GLAAD on June 28, 2023. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for GLAAD)

On a slightly more serious note, the press is working overtime to convince voters that the Kamala/Walz ticket promotes a new kind of masculinity. The Washington Post is not alone.

During the Democratic National Convention, CNN host Dana Bash thanked the party for appealing to men with low testosterone. 

"They are doing [this]  to put forward male figures, Tim Walz being one of them, Doug Emhoff last night, who can speak to men out there who might not be the sort of testosterone-laden, y’know, gun-toting kind of guy who wants to listen to Hulk Hogan and the kind of players that came out at the RNC or might want to listen to that," Bash argued.

The week prior, ESPN host Mina Kimes credited Tim Walz for "modeling a different kind of masculinity."

"There's something, to me, really important about seeing someone like this," Kimes said of Walz.  "We're kind of seeing it in the NFL with the Kelces, and Dan Campbell — this idea that 'big, tough football guy' isn't separate from showing emotion and empathy. This man, the year he was a football coach, led the gay–straight alliance at the high school. That's really powerful in a way that goes far beyond politics." 

Republicans do a better job at promoting masculinity than Democrats. So instead of trying to wrest back some of those voters, the press/Democrats are trying to counter by celebrating a different type of masculinity: men who defer to women.

Rampell leaned into said message later in her column:

"Women at least want a mate who won’t resent their career success — a tangible concern, given that divorce has been statistically more likely when women received job promotions or outearn their husbands. Hence, the Emhoffian ‘wife guy’ fantasy. Which, needless to say, sharply contrasts with conservatives’ portrayal of manliness."

Now, debates over masculinity are unlikely to decide the election. 

The economy, inflation, and the Southern border will. And at no point during the DNC did the Democrats inspire confidence that Harris would solve any of those three problems – the three problems Gallup polling says voters care most about.

Sorry, Doug Emhof's sexiness isn't changing votes.

Though we wouldn't mind if the looks of presidential candidates' spouses played a role in the election. Nothing against Doug, but even Donald Trump must admit: he outkicked his coverage, a few times over.