Tim Kaine will give an entire campaign speech in Spanish
Carline Jean/TNS Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine speaks at a rally in Florida in October.
Vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine plans to give a speech entirely in Spanish as he campaigns in Phoenix on Thursday, part of an effort by Democrats to boost Latino voting in Arizona in hopes of winning the reliably Republican state.
According to Hillary Clinton’s campaign, that’s a first for a rally in an American presidential contest.
But it’s not the first time the Virginia senator has showcased his fluency in Spanish, which he burnished as a missionary in Honduras.
In 2013, Kaine delivered his first extended speech on the floor of the Senate entirely in Spanish. It was about immigration reform. And when Clinton introduced Kaine as her running mate at a rally in Miami in July, he said they would be “compañeros de alma in this great lucha ahead,” or soul mates in this great fight ahead.
It’s notable that Kaine’s speech will be delivered in Arizona, which has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1952, with one exception. Changing demographics meant many political pundits believed it would eventually become a purple state, but the shift may be hastened by GOP nominee Donald Trump.
Democratic groups report that Latino voters in the state are intensely motivated by Trump’s rhetoric about immigration. And the Clinton campaign clearly believes it has a shot at expanding the map through Arizona — Clinton herself will campaign there Wednesday and first lady Michelle Obama rallied supporters in Phoenix last week.