Democratic strategist Fernand Amandi on Thursday took a shot at some of the Democratic presidential candidates who spoke Spanish unprompted during the first debate, saying they sounded like they were "Hispandering."
Amandi, who has done consulting for multiple Democratic campaigns, appeared on MSNBC to analyze the first debate when he was asked about some of the Democratic candidates speaking Spanish.
"There are many voters in the state of Florida who are Hispanic. We saw, not one, but two candidates last night on the stage speaking Spanish," host Stephanie Ruhle said. "Marianne Williamson made a joke on Twitter saying, 'I guess have to learn Spanish by tomorrow night at 9P.M.' Is that a winning move to draw voters in?"
Amandi said he believes that speaking Spanish during the debate signals the "importance of the Hispanic vote," but said he believed it sounded like "Hispandering."
"If you're going to do some of this stuff, come out with a little bit better than the D- high school Spanish, at least you want to go with the A+," Amandi said. "Having said that, it is an important segment of the electorate. You see the case being made and I think that's going to be something perhaps tonight."
Former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke and Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.) were the two main Democrats who spoke Spanish during the debate. Former Obama Administration official Julián Castro also spoke Spanish near the end of the debate, despite previously admitting he rarely speaks the language.
Freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) took a shot at Booker and O'Rourke during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, saying, "There was a lot of Spanglish in the building."