Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff plans Friday visit to Aspen
Jacquelyn Martin/AP photo
As the presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump inches closer to decision day, Aspen continues to be a popular stopping point on the campaign fundraising trail.
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff is slated to arrive in Aspen on Friday, Harris’ campaign announced Tuesday.
The 59-year-old husband of Harris is also set to make appearances this week in Idaho and California. The Harris campaign confirmed Emhoff will make a reception stop in San Francisco on Friday before coming to Aspen later that day.
“The Second Gentleman will be in Aspen, Colorado to deliver remarks at a campaign reception,” Tate Mitchell, a Harris for President spokesperson, told The Aspen Times via email on Tuesday.
With the General Election less than three months away, this will mark the second appearance in one month that a significant political dignitary has visited Aspen. Seeking his second, nonconsecutive four-year term in office, Trump on Aug. 10 landed at the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport and took a motorcade into town to an undisclosed location for a private fundraiser.
Similar to Trump’s visit, Pitkin County Undersheriff Alex Burchetta confirmed his office has been coordinating with the Secret Service in anticipation of Emhoff’s visit Friday.
“I can say that we’ve been contacted by the Secret Service about the visit coming up this Friday,” he said. “We are working with the Secret Service under a mutual aid agreement to provide resources for the visit.”
Further details on Emhoff’s visit to Aspen have yet to be released.
When asked about the Second Gentleman’s upcoming Aspen visit, Pitkin County Republican Chair Jon Kelly said, “I mean, it makes sense.”
“There are a lot of wealthy Californians and New Yorkers here,” he told The Aspen Times on Tuesday.
Criticism over Trump’s visit to Aspen earlier this month drew ire from Pitkin County Republicans, according to Kelly. While Trump’s visit attracted both supporters and protesters alike on Aspen’s streets, it also drew in questions over whether local law enforcement was compensated fairly to provide escort and protection services.
“I was really shocked and taken back by all the vitriol against the cost of protection from the sheriff with President Trump’s visit — especially after the assassination attempt,” Kelly said. “I thought that was incredibly ugly and hateful.”
He added, “They have every right to visit here, and if somebody’s a high risk, I think we should welcome them and protect them, and I think it’s really ugly to complain and be nasty about those costs.”
Pitkin County Democratic Chair Betty Wallach told The Aspen Times on Tuesday she’s delighted the Second Gentleman is coming to Aspen, calling his recent convention speech “inspirational” and added that she was impressed by “his love for his wife and his children.”
“He is lovely from what I saw at the convention on television, and what I have seen before and what I have read in the interviews,” she said. “It is wonderful that we in America have, already, a second gentleman as the Vice President’s husband.”
According to the latest polls, Harris has a slim lead over Trump. If she prevails in November, it would make Emhoff the nation’s first-ever first gentleman.
“I would say, right now, the polls seem even,” Wallach said, later adding, “I won’t breathe more easily the day after election morning, I don’t think I’ll breathe more easily until after Jan. 6, next year. I don’t think I’ll breathe more easily until after Inauguration Day.”
Ray K. Erku can be reached at (970) 429-9120 or rerku@aspentimes.com.
