As the presidential race drags on, an interesting new protagonist has entered the stage. Tim Kaine, Hillary Clinton’s running mate, is a senator from Virginia. After graduating from college, he spent a year in Honduras, working for a Jesuit school. He became fluent in Spanish while living there. Is Mr. Kaine’s fluency in Spanish an asset that he should exploit with Latino constituents? 

I asked several Facebook groups of Latinos based in the United States how it would make them feel if an American candidate addressed them in Spanish. They touched upon several interesting topics.

There was a consensus that if the candidate was not fluent in Spanish, he or she should not attempt to speak in imperfect Spanish. The Latino constituents were proud of their mastery of English, and did not feel the need for any special accommodation.

Some people expressed a concern that if not everyone in the audience were fluent in Spanish, then it would be impolite for the candidate not to speak English. This is the United States, and English is our language. No one should feel excluded in a public forum because many of the people surrounding him or her are also fluent in another language. 

Some respondents felt that a short phrase in Spanish could be endearing. The example one of them shared with me was the Spanish version of the Obama campaign’s 2008 slogan, “Yes we can!” “ "Sí se puede".

The one time that an American politician should show off his or her Spanish fluency is if they are on official business in a Latin American country. It is considered a sign of culture and respect to be fluent in the language of the host country. Addressing a crowd in Spanish in this situation creates an opportunity for bonding between the United States and Latin America.

All of the respondents agreed that the message itself was the important thing, not the language that it was delivered in. Latino voters want to hear their concerns addressed in a substantive way. They want follow through from the politicians they elect. In this they are no different than all the other constituents in the United States. That seems to be the universal desire of all voters.