CHICAGO — Second gentleman Doug Emhoff championed his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris, during his Tuesday night speech at the Democratic National Convention, saying marrying her was “the best decision I ever made.”

Emhoff’s speech at the DNC comes as Harris is scheduled to accept the Democratic nomination Thursday evening — the same day as the couple’s 10-year wedding anniversary.

“I love you and I’m so proud of how you’re stepping up for all of us. That’s who she is. Whenever she’s needed, however she’s needed, Kamala rises to the occasion,” Emhoff said. “She did it for me and our family. Now that the country needs her, she’s showing you what we already know: She’s ready to lead, she brings both joy and toughness to this task, and she will be a great president who we will all be proud of.”

Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president who was introduced by his son, Cole, has been a steady figure during Harris’s tenure as vice president, often serving as a surrogate for the Biden administration to combat antisemitism and reach out to the Jewish community.

Now, with Harris having been catapulted to the top of the ticket, Emhoff has sought to personalize his wife through his personal testimony and social media presence, including about how the first met and quipped about her laugh.

“Kamala is a joyful warrior. It’s doing for her country what she has always done for the people she loves. Her passion will benefit all of us when she’s our president,” Emhoff said Tuesday, making a passionate appeal on Harris’s behalf.

Emhoff shared personal tales of his first awkward message left on Harris’s voicemail and how she blended into his children’s lives as “Momala.”

“America, in this election, you have to decide who to trust with your family’s future,” he later said. “I trusted Kamala with our family’s future. It was the best decision I ever made.”

Emhoff’s Jewish identity has also provided Harris with political cover to criticize Israel for its conduct during the war in Gaza, an issue that has divided Democrats since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks against the Jewish state.

That political cover appears to cracking, however, with Harris becoming the party’s standard-bearer. The “Abandon Biden” movement, which sought to put pressure on President Joe Biden for his handling of the war in Gaza rebranded to “Abandon Harris” on Monday. And chants of “Killer Kamala” could be heard at a gathering at Union Park on Monday in a replacement of the moniker “Genocide Joe” protesters had used against Biden on multiple occasions.

Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters have descended on Chicago as the party’s top members and delegates gather for the DNC.