Politicians' spouses & families, POLITICIANS' SPOUSES AND FAMILIES
Behind the scenes, politicians are spouses, parents and siblings, just like the rest of us. Find out more about the family members who have helped make these politicians who they are today.
Rep. Michele Bachmann
The outspoken Gopher State-based member of the U.S. House of Representatives met her husband at their undergrad alma mater and the pair went on to have five children together. The couple has also reportedly reared 23 more kids as foster parents.
VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN
The wife of the vice president of the United States currently works as a community college professor, and is said to be the first second lady of the U.S. to hold a paying job while her husband is in office. Before earning her doctorate in 2007, she also waitressed in a popular Garden State tourist spot and worked as a model.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE JOHN BOEHNER
Boehner met his wife when he worked as a janitor and was cleaning near her desk. She now works in real estate and as a part-time cashier. She says she has no plans to move to the capital.
CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR JERRY BROWN
The nation's oldest governor (his age?) and son of a former governor married his wife (who is 20 years his junior) in 2005 after a 15-year courtship. An attorney and graduate of a prestigious Silicon Valley university, she was chief administrative officer of the executive vice president of a major U.S. clothing retailer and a director for a popular fast food chain.
FORMER HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER REP. ERIC CANTOR
Cantor, a Republican, met his wife, a lifelong Democrat, on a blind date in New York City. They now have three children together. She is a partner at an investment management firm, has served as VP of a controversial investment bank and founded a pro-education plan in their home state. The couple disagree on social issues, including one prominent topic.
FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON
The former president's daughter is an only child who made a name for herself by attending top universities (she is now teaching at one of them), hosting a lavish wedding and scoring a network news gig, which she recently left. She recently gave birth to her first child.
NEW YORK GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO
Andrew Cuomo's brother is a Yale graduate and Emmy-nominated broadcast journalist (which network does he work for?) whose resume includes co-hosting a long-running news show and working as an anchor on ABC's popular morning show.
CHICAGO MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL
Formerly the highest-ranking employee in President Barack Obama's White House, Chicago's Rahm Emanuel is the older brother of a so-called Hollywood "superagent," representing this talent agency. The youngest Emanuel (here's the oldest) was the inspiration for a feisty HBO funnyman. He also dabbles in both the fashion and art worlds.
NEW YORK MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO
New York's tallest mayor met his wife while they were both working in the administration of a former New York City mayor. She is a published poet and achieved renown in 1979 for her groundbreaking essay about her sexuality. Her work in politics includes several stints as a speechwriter, and she helped edit her husband's speeches in his 2013 mayoral election.
FORMER MAYOR RUDY GIULIANI
Rudy Giuliani met his current wife, Judith, when he was still in his second marriage to a TV anchor. Their ensuing relationship soon dominated local news in the years before the Sept. 11 attacks. Judith was working as a sales rep for a pharmaceutical company at that time, and is now involved in numerous charitable pursuits.
FORMER U.S. SEN. KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON
The first woman this Southern state has sent to the Senate, Hutchison met her future husband when he was involved in state politics in the '70s. He now works as a bond lawyer and is senior counsel for an international law firm. The couple has four children, two of them adopted.
U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY
The former presidential contender's wife is a highly recognized philanthropist and the chair of two organizations that give money to social and environment causes. She is the widow of a former senator who was an heir to the H.J. Heinz Company, best known for its highest selling product.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN
The Copper State senator's eldest child is a young Republican whose blog spring-boarded her into gigs as a columnist, news correspondent and published writer. She also co-authored a book on politics with a comedic actor, and has more recently anchored news programs on a start-up TV channel.
PRESIDENT OBAMA
The 44th president's oldest daughter (she has one younger sister) is big on pop singers and boy bands and enjoys playing this sport at her Washington, D.C. private school.
SEN. RAND PAUL
The junior senator and son of a former presidential candidate married his wife in 1990. She's a native of this small Kentucky city, studied English at a Tennessee liberal arts college and currently works as a freelance writer.
HOUSE MINORITY LEADER NANCY PELOSI
The history-making House minority leader's daughter earned Emmy nods with her documentary on George W. Bush. In 2011, she released a documentary on immigration for this cable network and released another in 2013 on a disgraced New Jersey ex-governor.
REP. PAUL RYAN
The Badger State congressman's brother is a private equity exec with ties to Paul Ryan's 2012 running mate.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS
The Vermont senator's wife studied child development and sociology in college and earned her Ph.D. in 2000. In February 2012, she stepped down from her role as president of a private university after seven years.
KATHLEEN SEBELIUS
The former two-term Sunflower State governor who resigned from President Obama's cabinet earlier this year met her husband while at law school in Washington, D.C. They married on New Year's Eve in 1974, in her father's home — the governor's mansion. Her husband is now a U.S. magistrate judge.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN
The first female U.S. Senator to represent the Bay State and founder of a federal agency devoted to consumer protection has also co-authored two books with her daughter: one on financial difficulties in two-income households and another offering tips for creating a lifetime money plan.
Behind the scenes, politicians are spouses, parents and siblings, just like the rest of us. Find out more about the family members who have helped make these politicians who they are today.
Rep. Michele Bachmann
The outspoken Gopher State-based member of the U.S. House of Representatives met her husband at their undergrad alma mater and the pair went on to have five children together. The couple has also reportedly reared 23 more kids as foster parents.
VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN
The wife of the vice president of the United States currently works as a community college professor, and is said to be the first second lady of the U.S. to hold a paying job while her husband is in office. Before earning her doctorate in 2007, she also waitressed in a popular Garden State tourist spot and worked as a model.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE JOHN BOEHNER
Boehner met his wife when he worked as a janitor and was cleaning near her desk. She now works in real estate and as a part-time cashier. She says she has no plans to move to the capital.
CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR JERRY BROWN
The nation's oldest governor (his age?) and son of a former governor married his wife (who is 20 years his junior) in 2005 after a 15-year courtship. An attorney and graduate of a prestigious Silicon Valley university, she was chief administrative officer of the executive vice president of a major U.S. clothing retailer and a director for a popular fast food chain.
FORMER HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER REP. ERIC CANTOR
Cantor, a Republican, met his wife, a lifelong Democrat, on a blind date in New York City. They now have three children together. She is a partner at an investment management firm, has served as VP of a controversial investment bank and founded a pro-education plan in their home state. The couple disagree on social issues, including one prominent topic.
FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON
The former president's daughter is an only child who made a name for herself by attending top universities (she is now teaching at one of them), hosting a lavish wedding and scoring a network news gig, which she recently left. She recently gave birth to her first child.
NEW YORK GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO
Andrew Cuomo's brother is a Yale graduate and Emmy-nominated broadcast journalist (which network does he work for?) whose resume includes co-hosting a long-running news show and working as an anchor on ABC's popular morning show.
CHICAGO MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL
Formerly the highest-ranking employee in President Barack Obama's White House, Chicago's Rahm Emanuel is the older brother of a so-called Hollywood "superagent," representing this talent agency. The youngest Emanuel (here's the oldest) was the inspiration for a feisty HBO funnyman. He also dabbles in both the fashion and art worlds.
NEW YORK MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO
New York's tallest mayor met his wife while they were both working in the administration of a former New York City mayor. She is a published poet and achieved renown in 1979 for her groundbreaking essay about her sexuality. Her work in politics includes several stints as a speechwriter, and she helped edit her husband's speeches in his 2013 mayoral election.
FORMER MAYOR RUDY GIULIANI
Rudy Giuliani met his current wife, Judith, when he was still in his second marriage to a TV anchor. Their ensuing relationship soon dominated local news in the years before the Sept. 11 attacks. Judith was working as a sales rep for a pharmaceutical company at that time, and is now involved in numerous charitable pursuits.
FORMER U.S. SEN. KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON
The first woman this Southern state has sent to the Senate, Hutchison met her future husband when he was involved in state politics in the '70s. He now works as a bond lawyer and is senior counsel for an international law firm. The couple has four children, two of them adopted.
U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY
The former presidential contender's wife is a highly recognized philanthropist and the chair of two organizations that give money to social and environment causes. She is the widow of a former senator who was an heir to the H.J. Heinz Company, best known for its highest selling product.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN
The Copper State senator's eldest child is a young Republican whose blog spring-boarded her into gigs as a columnist, news correspondent and published writer. She also co-authored a book on politics with a comedic actor, and has more recently anchored news programs on a start-up TV channel.
PRESIDENT OBAMA
The 44th president's oldest daughter (she has one younger sister) is big on pop singers and boy bands and enjoys playing this sport at her Washington, D.C. private school.
SEN. RAND PAUL
The junior senator and son of a former presidential candidate married his wife in 1990. She's a native of this small Kentucky city, studied English at a Tennessee liberal arts college and currently works as a freelance writer.
HOUSE MINORITY LEADER NANCY PELOSI
The history-making House minority leader's daughter earned Emmy nods with her documentary on George W. Bush. In 2011, she released a documentary on immigration for this cable network and released another in 2013 on a disgraced New Jersey ex-governor.
REP. PAUL RYAN
The Badger State congressman's brother is a private equity exec with ties to Paul Ryan's 2012 running mate.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS
The Vermont senator's wife studied child development and sociology in college and earned her Ph.D. in 2000. In February 2012, she stepped down from her role as president of a private university after seven years.
KATHLEEN SEBELIUS
The former two-term Sunflower State governor who resigned from President Obama's cabinet earlier this year met her husband while at law school in Washington, D.C. They married on New Year's Eve in 1974, in her father's home — the governor's mansion. Her husband is now a U.S. magistrate judge.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN
The first female U.S. Senator to represent the Bay State and founder of a federal agency devoted to consumer protection has also co-authored two books with her daughter: one on financial difficulties in two-income households and another offering tips for creating a lifetime money plan.
