“It’s time for poor, working-class, and young people to have a seat at the table,” said Maxwell Alejandro Frost while campaigning for the US House of Representatives in Orlando, Florida.
And, his time will start in January when he’s sworn in as the first Generation-Z member of Congress, the month in which he turns 26.
He wants to stay true to his roots—and activist resume—by fighting to end gun violence and end the climate crisis.
“I know how to hold power to account,” the Cuban-American says on his website. “I organized in the movement that restored voting rights to 1.6 million Floridians with previous felonies. I’ve led thousands of young activists in the fight against gun violence as the National Organizing Director of March for Our Lives.”
Frost won a 10-way Democratic primary in August for the nomination to fill the seat vacated by former Rep. Val Demings, who decided to challenge Sen. Marco Rubio in Florida’s U.S. Senate election and lost on Tuesday.
“History was made tonight,” Frost tweeted. “I am beyond thankful.”
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Frost responded in a later tweet to President Biden who gave him a shout out during his post-election press conference, saying: “He’s not just congratulating me, he’s congratulating the millions of young people who proved last night that our generation will be a driving force for change and progress in our country.”
Watch his post-election interview with CNN…
.@MaxwellFrostFL, the first Generation Z member who will be elected to Congress, says there "is a lot we need to do" on gun legislation.
— CNN (@CNN) November 9, 2022
"Universal background checks is something we need to pass." https://t.co/3hT3x99k1V pic.twitter.com/qGxhScOAqr
Young voters became the bulwark for Democrats against the predicted ‘Red Wave’ in several key elections this week, even though just 27 percent of the US youth between 18 and 29 cast their ballot in this year’s midterm election (which generally has lower turnouts than presidential years).
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Still, more people under 25 registered to vote for this midterm election than in the Presidential election in 2018, according to research at Tufts University. Maybe a win for their fellow Gen-Z-er will inspire more of them to run for office.
SHARE Your Congratulations With Gen Z Voters on Social Media…