The election of 25-year-old activist Maxwell Frost would signal the start of Generation Z having a seat at the table in Congress.
On Valentine’s Day 2018, 17 lives were senselessly taken at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. In the following weeks, a coalition called March for Our Lives formed in favor of universal background checks, stronger gun regulations and an assault weapons ban. “Never again,” cried survivors such as David Hogg, Cameron Kasky, and X González.
On March 24th of that year, millions of people across America joined this coalition in one of the largest youth protests in American history. The nationwide march was a watershed moment in the fight for national gun reform. “Never again,” the students cried.
There was an “again,” however. And another again. And another. And the fight went on. Four years later, the MFOL movement is still going strong with advocates and outreach at every level of government. Their policies have expanded to meet the urgency of the times.
Enter Maxwell Alejandro Frost, a key player of the national MFOL movement, grassroots organizer and fierce advocate of legislative gun reform and racial justice. The 25-year-old Afro-Cuban Democratic progressive running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Florida’s 10th is currently on track to become the first Gen Z member of congress.
Maxwell Frost supports Medicare for All and the Green New Deal. He intends to expand access and coverage to healthcare, hold pharmaceutical companies accountable, bring reform to the justice system and expand affordable housing and public transportation. He believes in expanding background checks for all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and bringing new community solutions to the areas hit hardest by gun violence. Frost is ready to continue MFOL’s fight and take on gun lobbies like the National Rifle Association.
According to the Library of Congress, the average age of House of Representatives members at the beginning of the current Congressional session was 58-years-old. With Frost being elected at the age of 25, young people across the country would have a representative that can see them, hear them and truly understand the crucial issues facing this generation’s present and future. Be it the threat of climate change or the rising costs of living, Maxwell Frost gets us, because he is us.
His opponent is retired combat veteran Republican Calvin Wimbish. A 2020 election denier, Wimbish believes that Joe Biden is not the rightful president and wishes to “restore” voter and election integrity in our country. Wimbish does not support the gun reform movement and is an advocate of the 2nd amendment. This year, Wimbish expressed support for the overturning of Roe v. Wade and supported Florida’s 15-week abortion ban that made no exceptions for rape or incest.
Interestingly, he also came out in defiance of vaccine and mask mandates, stating on his website that “your body” is “your choice.” Using pro-choice arguments to further the anti-vax narrative, Wimbish said that he would “propose and support laws that will get politicians out of mandating health care choices.” Some of his arguments seem to cancel themselves out.
Florida’s 10th congressional district, covering parts of Orlando, is the former seat of the current U.S. Senate Democratic candidate Val Demings. Considered a Solid D district this election, the odds are likely in Frost’s favor. According to the Cook Political Report, Val Demings won the seat with about 64% of the vote in her last general election. That gives Frost a current margin of 14 points. According to the 2020 census, the district is about 39% White, 29% Hispanic, 26% Black, 6% Asian, and 2% Native American or other.
Historically, voter turnout for midterm elections is usually lower than that for presidential elections. However, in recent years, a positive shift has been seen among many voting groups.
According to research from Tufts University, it was estimated that 50% of eligible young people aged 18-29 voted in the 2020 election, compared to 39% in 2016. This kind of massive growth among the youth voter bloc comes off of the unprecedented stakes of the 2020 election. It is highly possible that the 2022 election – highly consequential for what it could mean for legislation regarding gun reform, bodily autonomy, and environmental justice, among other things – could very well be swayed by the power of young voters. With that, it becomes imperative that the youth voter turnout this year does not fall prey to the midterm slump.
Young people have the power to change the future of America on Tuesday. Frost is Gen Z’s first vehicle for political change in Washington. If we show up to the polls with confidence, many more young leaders will follow in the coming years. It is time that young people reclaim the narrative of American history, and there is no better way to signal the start of this era than by sending Maxwell Frost to Congress.