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Democrat Maxwell Frost has won in Florida’s 10th Congressional District, according to a race call by the Associated Press, making him the first member of Generation Z selected to serve in the U.S. Congress.
Frost was heavily favored to win the Orlando-based seat, which is solidly Democrat. He defeated Republican Calvin Wimbish by 19 percentage points. Frost will succeed outgoing Democratic Rep. Val Demings, who failed in challenging incumbent Marco Rubio in the Senate.
Frost is also a former March For Our Lives organizer seeking stricter gun control laws and has stressed opposition to restrictions on abortion rights. Gen Z generally refers to those born between the late 1990s to early 2010s. To become a member of Congress, candidates must be at least 25 years old.
As gun violence affects all Americans, for others like Frost, it became the catalyst for his political career after the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., in 2012.
I started Organizing at 15 because I didn’t want to get shot at school. https://t.co/skaG2PGN6Z
— Maxwell Alejandro Frost (@MaxwellFrostFL) November 5, 2022
“I am more than thankful for the opportunity to represent my home in the United States Congress,” Mr Frost wrote.
Young people, progressives, Afro-Cubans, gig workers (Frost drove for Uber while on the campaign trail), and activists for gun control made up a large percentage of Frost’s base of supporters.
Gun violence is an everyday occurrence, the Supreme Court has stripped away abortion rights, & affordable housing is in a crisis. We need bold leaders who will fight for transformational change. A leader who will fight for Orlando. pic.twitter.com/Mkc0JnFxsb
— Maxwell Alejandro Frost (@MaxwellFrostFL) July 28, 2022
An advocate of women’s right when nearly 7 in 10 voters say the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision on abortion is an important factor in the election, it becomes clearer to see how he won his first crack at Congress.
Frost grew up in an immigrant family, with his grandmother having moved to Florida from Cuba in the early 1960s. The young-Congressman-elect was adopted, noting on his website that his “biological mother was caught in a cycle of drugs, crime, and violence while pregnant.” Without access to healthcare, she was never even able to see a doctor and then made the “difficult decision” to put her child up for adoption.
No rest for the weary, the history-making Frost was back to work after his win ready to make the happiest place on Earth happier — and safer — for all.
? Hydro Flask
? Glasses cause I barely slept and my eyes were too dry for contacts
? Brekkie Sandwich
? Won my election last nightIt’s a good morning. pic.twitter.com/xAf7YUcrAf
— Maxwell Alejandro Frost (@MaxwellFrostFL) November 9, 2022