Yesterday was election day, marking the last day to vote in the 2022 U.S. Midterm elections. As voting has drawn to a close, ballots are being counted and tallied, and many of the results are in. One candidate, in particular, has made history not only for the state of Florida but for an entire generation of people. Maxwell Alejandro Frost made history by becoming the first member of Gen Z to get elected into the House of Representatives. He won Florida’s 10th Congressional District, becoming the first member of the current youngest voting-aged generation to serve in the U.S. Congress, marking a turning point in U.S. politics. Frost reclaimed the Orlando-based seat for the Democrat party from former Democratic Representative Val Demings. The new Congressman conquered the Republican candidate, Calvin Wimbish, with a 19% point lead.
Frost made it to Congress at just 25 years old but has been organizing his political career over the last decade. Frost stated that he began his political journey when he was only 15 years old, motivated by his aspirations of regulating gun control and putting an end to school shootings, tweeting, “I started Organizing at 15 because I didn’t want to get shot at school.” School shootings aren’t new, and they have tragically become an epidemic, targeting some of the youngest members of our society. It is a cause that has driven Rep. Frost towards activism, first serving as the director for March for Our Lives (a group that aims to regulate policies pertaining to gun control) and now as a U.S. Congressman.
Gun control is among the most important issues to young voters, along with abortion and inflation, according to polls from the Harvard Institute of Politics. This is because it is an issue that directly impacts the safety and well-being of these younger voters, who are more likely to be victimized by those who take advantage of the current gun control statute. Because gun control is one of the core pillars of Rep. Frost’s platform, along with supporting the Green New Deal and Medicare for all, Frost’s stances have made him the ideal candidate for more progressive voters.
Frost’s election into office is historic because it represents a new age of politics as the next generation comes of age to vote. We can expect to see more Gen-Z candidates running in future elections now that Rep. Frost has put one foot in the door.
