Who is Maxwell Alejandro Frost, the 25-year-old Democratic House nominee?
Original Article: The Hill. 08/24/22
“My name is Maxwell Alejandro Frost and I will be the first Generation-Z member of Congress.”
Frost, 25, published his victory tweet shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday, his first day as the official Democratic nominee for an Orlando House seat.
Four hours earlier, at the crack of dawn, Frost retweeted Florida Politics, a local news outlet that said his win “stuns [the] establishment.”
“Thinking about what I wanted to tweet out this morning or what I wanted to say, I really wanted to harp and focus on the fact that young people are oftentimes counted out. But I really want folks to know that I am unapologetically young,” Frost told The Hill.
While Frost did stun the Democratic establishment — coming seemingly out of nowhere to best a wide field packed with senior political figures — Frost’s win is notable even amid a diversifying national candidate corps.
Frost has roots in a broad swath of American life: His parents, who adopted Frost at birth, are a Cuban American woman and a white man from Kansas. His birth parents were a Lebanese Puerto Rican woman and a Haitian man.
Frost, who is Black, spoke both English and Spanish at home, and he capitalized on his multicultural upbringing to campaign in a district that’s as diverse as his own origins.
Still, Frost stands out for a resume that doesn't match his age.
He’s been politically active for a decade, mainly campaigning against gun violence and for abortion rights in organizations like March for Our Lives and the American Civil Liberties Union.
“Maxwell is a very ambitious and incredibly special person, a special candidate. I think he has a very bright future,” said Victoria McGroary, the executive director of Bold PAC, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus campaign arm.
“He is both extremely young and energetic and has a decade of experience doing the work to bring about change,” added McGroary.
Frost’s primary campaign was one of two top targets for Bold PAC this cycle, with the group betting big on Frost both with involvement at the strategic level and a $250,000 independent expenditure.
Frost is all but certain to win in November, as the seat he’s competing for — a safe blue seat vacated by retiring Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) — was redrawn in a way that packed more Democratic voters together.
But Democrats see potential in Frost that extends beyond November.
"Maxwell is the future of the Democratic Party,” said McGroary. “The work Bold PAC has done with Maxwell’s campaign embodies the very mission of Bold PAC.”
Frost said he will continue to advocate for the issues he’s been active in but will also serve as a sort of ambassador for his generation in Congress.
“I’m always asked, ‘does Gen Z care about different things than other generations?’ I actually push back. I don’t think we care about different issues. I don’t think we care about different things. I think we all care about the same things. About living our lives, having the resources we need, being valued and cared for. But we just see the issues through a different light,” said Frost.
“Certain folks might say young people are in debt because they’ve lived beyond their means. But as a young person, I know that that’s not true. I know it’s because we’ve been denied the means to live,” he added.
“When we think about health care, we’re thinking about it holistically. When we think about climate change, we’re thinking about the fact that every year we wait, the bill gets higher and higher to deal with the problem.”
Frost’s political passions also stem from personal experience — his gun advocacy kicked off in Halloween of 2016, when Frost and his friends were forced to run away from an active shooter in downtown Orlando.
His push for reproductive rights is informed by the experience of his birth mother, who didn’t have the means to get medical treatment during her pregnancy.
But beyond the big political fights, Frost said he wants to advocate for the arts in Congress.
Before he found activism at age 15, Frost credits his father’s musical education for his discipline and drive.
“My dad is a full time musician. My life changed forever when he gave me a drum set in the second grade. And I became a musician and I always grew up hearing music in the house,” said Frost.
“When I was younger, like any other kid, I just didn’t really understand where I wanted to go, what I wanted to do, but music and art really changed that for me, my dad was an influence in helping me hone my energy,” Frost added.
