Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Kaine plans to deliver a campaign speech entirely in Spanish in Arizona, in an effort to impress Latinos in the important swing state.
“In Phoenix, Kaine will deliver remarks entirely in Spanish — a first for an organized campaign rally during a US presidential campaign — about the high stakes of this election and the choice voters face,” the Clinton campaign revealed in a statement.
Clinton’s campaign boasted that the Latino community was making Arizona competitive for the first time since 1996, thanks to what it called “offensive and dangerously divisive rhetoric” by Donald Trump and Clinton’s “inclusive” political message.
Kaine repeatedly refers to his missionary work in Honduras, where he learned to speak Spanish fluently.
“Spanish was the language of our country before English,” Kaine said in the interview with José Díaz-Balart on Telemundo. “It’s important to remember that, and celebrate it.”
In 2013, Kaine made history by delivering a 13 minute speech entirely in Spanish in support of the Gang of Eight amnesty bill being considered by the Senate.
That was the first time a U.S. Senator delivered a speech on the Senate floor entirely in Spanish.