Midterms 2022: Frost for the Future – 25-year-old Becomes First Gen Z Member of Congress
25-year-old Maxwell Frost Makes History as the First Gen Z Congressman
25-year-old Maxwell Frost regularly brings his progressive message to constituents in his Florida District. Frost previously served as the National Organizing Director of the March For Our Lives organization.
November 15, 2022
The time has come for Generation Z to have a seat in politics.
Maxwell Alejandro Frost, a former Uber driver and 25-year-old Democratic Candidate, has become the first member of Generation Z to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
On November 11th, Frost “defeated Republican Calvin Wimbish by 19 percentage points” in Florida’s 10th Congressional District, according to NPR.
According to his Frost for Congress campaign page, he vows to fight for “Medicare For All,” a goal deriving from his own experiences. Frost’s biological mother was once “caught in a cycle of drugs, crime, and violence while pregnant,” but she “didn’t have healthcare” and therefore “wasn’t able to see a doctor even once.” Not to mention she was a mother of seven children at the time.
The “trying circumstances” Frost’s mother underwent ultimately resulted in her making “the difficult decision to put [Frost] up for adoption because she lacked the resources to care for and raise another child.”
Frost also promises to “fight to end gun violence.” His stance stems from Frost’s declaration that “mass violence has robbed my generation of our childhoods and cut many of our lives short.” Frost previously served as the National Organizing Director of March for Our Lives.
The March for Our Lives movement shines a light on the current issue of gun violence, stating that they “mobilize the nation to end gun violence.”
Frost further pledges to “end the climate crisis.” Throughout his campaign, Frost publicly supported the progressive Green New Deal. The New York Times defines the Green New Deal as “a congressional resolution that lays out a grand plan for tackling climate change.”
It’s safe to say that in the near future, the true power of Gen Z voter turnout will start to make real changes in the nation. In fact, it’s predicted that by the 2024 election, “the number of eligible Gen Z and Millennial voters will equal the number of Baby Boomer and older voters,” stated Jim Welsh of Macro Tides.
But even more astoundingly, by the 2028 election, Gen Z voters would entirely outnumber older generations.
What distinguishes Gen Z voters from older generations is that they are the most demographically diverse yet. Additionally, “30% identify as LGBTQ+, 33% as Black and 14% as Hispanic,” claimed The Hill.
With the highest diversity rates yet, and their unique perspectives and experiences, Gen Z is sure to make their own mark in history. Despite Gen Z’s occasional shortcomings (being stereotypically sensitive and uncooperative), they are beginning to achieve what every generation has upon their introduction to politics: change.
