Maxwell Frost marches in Orlando’s Pride Parade.
Giorgio Viera / AFP via Getty Images
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Giorgio Viera / AFP via Getty Images
Maxwell Frost marches in Orlando’s Pride Parade.
Giorgio Viera / AFP via Getty Images
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Democrat Maxwell Frost has won Florida’s 10th Congressional District, according to an Associated Press race, making him the first member of the Generation Z elected to serve in the United States Congress.
Frost was in great favor when he won the seat based in Orlando, an all-Democrat. He beat Republican Calvin Wimbish by 19 percentage points. Frost will succeed outgoing Democrat Val Demings, who challenged incumbent Marco Rubio in the Senate. According to the AP, Rubio won his re-election.
“History was made tonight,” Frost tweeted. “We’ve made history for Floridians, for Gen Z and for everyone who believes we deserve a better future.”
The 25-year-old’s victory marks a pivotal moment for progressive activists who have reached voting age in the past decade and found their political voice on divisive issues including gun violence.
I started organizing when I was 15 years old because I didn’t want to get shot at school. https://t.co/skaG2PGN6Z
– Maxwell Alejandro Frost (@MaxwellFrostFL) November 5, 2022
Frost, who has a background as an organizer, first became an activist after the mass shootings in Newtown, Conn., in 2012. Before running for Congress, he served as a director. National organization for March for Our Lives, a group that advocates for gun control.
Gun control continues to be a top issue for young voters. Based on recent poll from the Harvard Political Institute22% of respondents said this is their most or second most important issue – compared to inflation (45%,) abortion (33%) and “defending democracy” (30%) .
Gun violence prevention is a core tenet of the Frost platform, along with supporting progressive policies like Medicare for all and New deals in green.
Following the mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, Frost confronts Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida at an event about the governor’s Second Amendment.
I was just asking @GovRonDeSantis Take action against gun violence so we can save lives. That we lose 100 people every day.
His reaction? “Nobody wants to hear from you!” We are dying and our Governor is too busy helping @RubinReport make money. pic.twitter.com/LUOWQq3kFUNDS
– Maxwell Alejandro Frost (@MaxwellFrostFL) June 3, 2022
Frost raised over 2.5 million dollars and endorsed by Vermont Senators Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts Senses Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, and the Congressional Radical Conference.
When Frost takes office in January, he will join a Congress known for its lack of age diversity – with its current membership being oldest in US history.
But that could slowly change, says Amanda Litman, co-founder of Run for Something, an organization that helps young people run for state and local offices.
“You see a 25-year-old running for Congress and winning, you think I can do this too, and then many more. Somebody first, more people second. and Tuesday, and Wednesday,” she told NPR.
“I’m also very confident that because getting into politics and being politically active is a habit, it’s a muscle, you build it and then it just keeps getting stronger and stronger,” added Litman. “We’re just seeing the beginnings of Gen Z’s engagement as political leaders.”
