One would like to think that hopeful political leaders would be proficient in the dominant language of their nation, especially those candidates who are native born.
One would like to think that.
Some lenience, of course, should be given to those for whom the dominant language is a second language, either because they are newcomers or because they are members of a minority society. America is and has always been a multi-lingual nation.
Nevertheless, voters prefer that political leaders be proficient in the dominant language spoken by most Americans -- in this case, English. That, however, is an accident of history, since other languages were spoken here long before Britain established its first colonies. Moreover, many native born Americans grow up speaking a different language, or dialectal variations of English according to geographic region or social level.
Resourceful politicians frequently change their mode of speaking according to their audience, ranging from Congressional gobbledygook to street-wise jargon or down-home slang.
In general, however, voters prefer to hear well-constructed sentences with clear phrasing and the socially preferred pronunciation of particular words.
Does this influence their decisions at the ballot box? To the extent that rambling, incomplete and garbled sentences indicate poorly thought out presentations of ideas, the answer is yes, even though that influence may be subconscious.
If you sound like you know what you're talking about, people will assume you do.
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