Democrat Maxwell Frost has been elected to Congress, representing Florida’s 10th District in the Orlando area. According to The Associated Press, he is the first member of Generation Z to be elected to Congress.
It was expected for Frost to win since Orlando is a Democratic-leaning city. He won against Republican Calvin Wimbish by 19 percentage points. He’ll succeed Rep. Val Demings, who challenged Marco Rubio in the Senate.
“We made history for Floridians, for Gen Z, and for everyone who believes we deserve a better future.” Frost tweeted after major media outlets announced him as the winner.
Many college students who are part of Gen Z are excited for what Frost plans to do as a new member of Congress because of his activism regarding gun control. Unlike most candidates, Frost had no intention of having politics a part of his future, until supporters that protested with him suggested he should be on a ballot.
Students in Tallahassee knew of Frost’s activism from social media. In 2020, Frost organized a Black Lives Matter protest, confronted Gov. Ron DeSantis about gun control, and was previously employed at March for Our Lives. Because of his experience getting involved in social issues that target Gen Z, students feel more comfortable knowing someone who is aware of these problems is representing Florida.
“I remember seeing him at a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020. It’s cool to know someone who was in the same protest as me, fighting for my rights, and is the same age as me is in that position. It gives me hope,” said Terica Washington, a social work major at Florida State University.
Frost’s experience in activism is not the only thing that supporters admire about him. He also comes from a similar household that most Gen Zers in Florida were raised in. Frost’s mother came to America from Cuba when she was very young. According to Yahoo News, Frost explained how his mom had nothing and had to figure out everything by herself.
He also explained how his activism came from watching his mother face hardships and discrimination because of her ethnicity.
“To have someone come from the same struggle as you and is able to fight for that struggle to end is insane,” said Nicholas Cunnings, a first-year biology major at Florida A&M University. “I look forward to seeing what he has planned for us and I trust every decision he makes”
Frost said he is still in utter shock that he won, and added that he is excited and ready to make an impact in D.C.
“There’s no savior, there’s not one politician that’s going to fix it. It has to be about a movement, a movement on the streets and a movement at the ballot box. I just want people to know that for us to effect the change that we need, [that] we want and that we deserve, we need to elect a movement of people,” Frost told NPR.