“As a single, professional woman in my forties, and very much in the public eye, dating wasn’t easy,” she wrote in her book. “I knew that if I brought a man with me to an event, people would immediately start to speculate about our relationship. I also knew that single women in politics are viewed differently than single men. We don’t get the same latitude when it comes to our social lives. I had no interest in inviting that kind of scrutiny unless I was close to sure I’d found ‘the One’—which meant that for years, I kept my personal life compartmentalized from my career.”
It was until one day in 2013 that she decided to face that particular trial, inviting Doug, a fellow litigator she had been dating for the past six months, to an event where she was to speak about elementary school truancy. Her best friend Chrisette Hudlin, a mutual connection, felt the Brooklyn-born, New Jersey-bred California transplant seemed like someone Kamala she would like. So, much like the love story of Hollywood figure Meghan Markle and adored royal Prince Harry, the entertainment lawyer and attorney general were set up.
But, while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s first date location was at Soho House’s Dean Street location in London, Kamala and Doug hit it off first over the phone—beginning with an introductory text from him followed by a next-day voicemail that he was sure had ended things before they began.
“The voicemail, which I still have saved to this day, was long and a little rambling,” she described in her book. “He sounded like a nice guy, though, and I was intrigued to learn more. Doug, on the other hand, was pretty sure that he had ruined his chances.”
Instead, it was the future vice presidential candidate who initiated a call next and, as evidenced by the hour they spent chatting on the phone together, chances were very much in tact.