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Maxwell Frost is a lot like other Gen Zers: he’s 25, drives an Uber for extra cash, and recently quit his job to pursue a more promising opportunity.
His last concert? Winning a crowded primary in Florida’s heavily Democratic 10th Congressional District on Tuesday night, giving him a strong chance to become a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Frost prevailed over more seasoned Democrats, including former congressmen Corrine Brown and Alan Grayson, and state senator Randolph Bracy, to secure the nomination. He’ll be the favorite in November in the reconfigured Orlando-area district.
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“I knew going into this that we were going to be left out because of my age,” Frost told The Washington Post in an interview Tuesday. “And I’ve been told a lot about my life because of my age. But I knew that if we stuck to our message, if we kept doing the work and building the movement, we would win.”
He is among the new class of Democratic candidates breaking the mold this year with working-class roots. On his campaign website, he highlights the hardships faced by his birth mother who gave him up for adoption amid what she describes as “a cycle of drugs, crime and violence”.
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Frost campaigned for support for Medicare for all, demilitarizing the police, legalizing “sex work” and recreational marijuana, eliminating all marijuana convictions, and restoring the right to vote to the incarcerated.
It was supported by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), another liberal lawmaker and author of the Green New Deal, said he was “honored” to endorse Frost.
“We have to listen to young people and let them lead. Then we’ll get a Green New Deal,” Markey tweeted after news of Frost’s primary victory.
Pre-primary polls showed Frost leading the 10-candidate race, but he said his campaign team was working as hard on Election Day as they have all summer, hitting the streets at 4 a.m. to drop off campaign literature to voters. ‘ houses
Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), who is the first Gen Z candidate to win a congressional primary, talks about his plan to get young people involved in the upcoming election. (Video: The Washington Post, Photo: Maxwell Alejandro Frost for Congress/The Washington Post)
The minimum age to hold a seat in Congress is 25. Frost has never run for public office, but he doesn’t consider himself a political newcomer. He began working in politics when he was 15, protesting gun violence after the deadly mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut in 2012.
He went on to become the national organizing director for March for Our Lives, the group organized by student survivors of the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in 2018. He also worked for the ACLU of Florida , Support the right to vote for formerly incarcerated citizens.
Frost refers to his as the “mass shooting generation.” March for Our Lives co-founder David Hogg on Tuesday summed up the forces he said would propel Frost to Congress: “Never underestimate the power of angry young people.”
Frost gained national attention four months ago when he confronted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) at an event in Orlando, shortly after the school shootings in Uvalde, Tex. In a video that circulated widely on social media, Frost is seen telling DeSantis that something needs to be done about gun violence. DeSantis replied, “No one wants to hear from you,” and they are seen accompanied by Frost.
Frost later highlighted the exchange in some of his campaign ads, saying he would not let these politicians silence “our voices.” Frost said he believes voters angry with DeSantis will help propel him to Congress.
“Our positive message about the world we deserve to live in is what really resonates with people, despite what comes out of the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee,” Frost said.
He argued that DeSantis’ policies have motivated voters.
“Our message has resonated right now despite what the governor is doing to scapegoat queer people, despite the governor taking away black people and their voting rights, despite our LGBTQ plus community and Latinos and blacks. and people with disabilities being scapegoated by this governor for every problem under the sun,” he said.
Frost was the top fundraiser in the race for the open seat currently held by Rep. Val Demings (D), who won the Senate nomination Tuesday night and will challenge Sen. Marco Rubio (R).
Although Florida’s GOP gerrymander makes the district safe for any Democrat to win, Frost hoped a future legal challenge could redraw the state’s lines.
“These maps are racist,” Frost said, “and the governor had two goals: one, take representation away from Democrats and two, cut black representation in half.”
While the black vote was diluted in the new district, Frost’s victory meant that Demings will almost certainly be succeeded by a Latino Democrat.
In the final weeks of the race, Frost and his supporters went on the offensive, fending off last-minute spending by Grayson, who has attempted a comeback since losing a 2016 primary amid allegations of misconduct conjugal Grayson denied those allegations and denied responsibility for mysterious text messages sent to Democratic primary voters that made vague allegations of misconduct against Frost.
“He saw the momentum we had and unfortunately he threw complete lies at me,” Frost said. “Politics should not be about this. And I think voters see through those things.”
Amy B Wang contributed to this report.