Most NYC mayoral candidates aren't campaigning in Spanish. ¿Por qu no?
Two days after Zohran Mamdani released his first Spanish-language video, the verdict was in. Native Spanish speakers praised the two-minute ad as a departure from the halting Spanish they’d heard from past mayors. Mamdani spoke Spanish like a star student, if not quite a native speaker.
“If his campaign keeps up this kind of intentional outreach, watch out,” wrote Eli Valentin, a political analyst who focuses on Latino politics, on X.
“Too many candidates ignore & take us for granted,” wrote former City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “This is an honest & effective way to outreach to Spanish speaking/Latino voters.”
But for all the rave reviews, Mamdani is not fluent in Spanish. Spokesperson Andrew Epstein said Mamdani took Spanish only in middle school, and his team shot the video with the assistance of a native speaker who helped the candidate pronounce his lines correctly. (His campaign released a blooper reel Wednesday showing a series of outtakes and stumbles.)
https://gothamist.com/news/most-nyc-mayoral-candidates-arent-campaigning-in-spanish-por-qué-no
= new reply since forum marked as read
I've been taking Duolingo lessons.......pretty cool stuff 