Kamala Harris Reveals the Secret Service Code Names Ella and Cole Emhoff Chose for Themselves

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Kamala Harris is sharing never-before-heard insight from her unprecedented presidential campaign in 107 Days, her new memoir out on September 23 via Simon & Schuster.

While Harris’s Secret Service code name was previously reported as Pioneer in 2020, her husband Doug Emhoff’s and kids’ have never been revealed before—until now. In her new book, the former vice president shares Emhoff’s code name was Playmaker, while Ella’s and Cole’s were Pickle and Pirate, respectively.

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Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and his kids, Ella and Cole Emhoff, after Kamala Harris conceded the election.Getty

“The kids, who also had Secret Service protection, were allowed to choose their own names, so long as they started with P. Ella, with her quirky sense of humor, chose Pickle. Cole became Pirate,” Harris writes in an account from August 7, 2024, which marked 90 days to the election.

When Harris was chosen as Joe Biden’s running mate in 2020, she reportedly chose Pioneer to be her Secret Service code name, which nods to her historic role at the time as the first Black woman and Indian American woman on a major party ticket.

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Ella, Cole, and Doug Emhoff with Maya Harris cheering for Kamala Harris at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.Getty

Dating back to the early 1900s, U.S. presidents and first families have been assigned Secret Service code names. When assigned Secret Service protection, high-profile political candidates (including presidential and vice presidential candidates) and their families typically choose code names that all start with the same letter.

Former President Barack Obama’s code name was Renegade, while First Lady Michelle Obama and their daughters Sasha and Malia went by Renaissance, Rosebud, and Radiance, respectively.

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Kamala Harris hugs Ella Emhoff at Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021.Getty

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