Our Generation’s First Congressman: Maxwell Alejandro Frost

Beginning his term this year, Maxwell Alejandro Frost, an Afro-Cuban Democrat from Orlando, became the youngest current member of the House of Representatives. Being sworn in on January 3, Frost became the representative of Florida’s 10th congressional district. At only 25 years old, Frost is the first congressman that is a part of Generation Z. The average age in the most recent Congress was 58.4 years old, more than double his age. Despite his youth, Frost holds an impressive history of activism; volunteering for multiple Democratic campaigns, working for the American Civil Liberties Union, being a leader and a part of several organized marches and protests, and being a strong advocate for stricter gun laws. Now after being elected as Orlando’s congressman, Frost plans to use his new position to make bold positive change in the United States.

Frost’s Past Experience with Activism 

Frost grew up in Orlando, Florida with his adoptive parents, his mother a Cuban Refugee and schoolteacher, and his father a musician from Kansas. From his father, Frost came to love music and the arts at a young age but decided to embrace his passion for political activism. He became involved in political activism early on at only age 15. Being motivated by the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting in 2012, Frost began his fight to push for anti-gun laws and prevent similar occurrences by flying to Connecticut to see how he could help in the aftermath of the shooting. He continued on to volunteer in President Obama’s reelection campaign in 2012, as well as in Bernie Sanders’s Presidential campaign in 2016, and more. He enrolled at Valencia College in Orlando and took a break in 2019 to work for the American Civil Liberties Union. Frost went on to become the national organizing director for March of Our Lives, a youth-led advocacy group against gun violence. Frost gained much of his experience from leading this movement; learning how to conduct safe and effective protests, discovering ways to attract young people to vote and take action, and becoming familiar with the Capitol and Washington D.C. To influence adolescents to be a part of March of Our Lives, Frost brought in artists and cultural leaders to make political engagement more appealing, combining his passions for the arts and political activism. Wanting to continue advocating for the end to gun violence and listening to the voices of young people, Frost decided to pursue running for a seat in the House of Representatives. 

Frost’s Road to Being Elected 

Maxwell Frost declared his candidacy for the Democratic nomination of Florida’s 10th Congressional District in August 2021. His motivation to run came from connecting with his biological mother. Frost’s biological mother, as well as the mother of seven other children, had given birth to Frost at the most vulnerable point in her life. Unable to obtain the resources to care for Frost, she had to give her son up for adoption. “Just hearing about the hardships she went through as a woman of color really solidified my beliefs,” Frost said, causing him to make the decision to run for Congress. Frost decided to run “for people like my biological mother, for my family and for my district,” wanting to be able “to fight to ensure that the condition doesn’t exist for anybody.” His campaign was centered around fighting for issues such as ending gun violence, winning Medicare For All, taking action to transform the racist criminal justice system, increasing safe abortion access, and ending the climate crisis. Frost won Florida’s 10th Congressional District with 59.0% of the vote, beating his Republican opponent, Calvin Wimbish, by 39,111 votes. Frost has begun and made plans to continue to fight for his movements as he begins serving as a representative. 

The Youngest Congressman’s Plans for the Next Two Years

During his campaign, Frost promised action to the voters of Orlando, specifically helping to reduce the issue of gun violence as well as getting young people to become more politically involved. In his new position, Frost intends to work to ban assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, ensure that at least $37 million is allocated to fund public research on gun violence, and develop a task force to end gun violence made up of composed of many young people of color who are most affected by the issue. Frost plans to take on other initiatives to tackle issues such as stopping the next pandemic, resolving the climate crisis, and fixing the American justice system. Frost intends to achieve these solutions through specific actions like helping enact the Green New Deal and the Thrive Act, ensuring Biden’s Pandemic Preparedness Plan passes and working toward ending all federal subsidies contributing to mass incarceration. In the past, Frost has proven to be able to promote change in policies and law. As a national organizer with ACLU, he compelled President Biden to abolish the Hyde Amendment, an act that heavily limited abortion access. In terms of his objectives to encourage adolescents to become more politically involved, as the youngest congressman, he aspires to serve as a sort of guide to help the Democratic party better communicate with younger voters. To directly connect with the youth of America, he wants to visit other districts and appear at town hall events aimed at young people. Congressman Frost desires to create impactful change during his time as a representative and beyond, as well as move other young people to do the same. 

The Future of American Politics Starting with Congressman Frost

Despite being an influential activist for the past decade and a driven American politician, Maxwell Frost is still a regular member of Generation Z. During his campaign, Frost drove for Uber to help support himself. Since being elected, he’s made the cover of Teen Vogue and has posted .5 selfies from the Congressional Progress Caucus Orientation. The election of Frost as the representative of Florida’s 10th congressional district marked the entry of Generation Z into the American legislative branch, the generation the majority of our student body is a part of. Frost is extremely passionate about creating transformative change, specifically in the Democratic party, that can be brought on by the youth of America. He is working to help the Democratic party become bolder and produce things young people want to vote for. Through amplifying the more youthful voices in America, Maxwell Frost is pushing for change in Congress that will greatly affect and benefit us. He hopes to inspire others to do the same as we begin to gain the opportunity to do some.