Democrat and activist Maxwell Alejandro Frost, at only 25 years old, managed to win the election race in otherwise traditionally Republican Florida. In the congressional elections halfway through the presidential term (Midterm Elections) Frost blew away Republican Calvin Wimbish (72), almost three times his age. That is how he became the first member of the United States Congress from the ranks of the "zoomers", i.e. generation "Z".
This generation includes those born from the mid-nineties to the early 2010s, and they will soon overtake the millennials (1981-1996) who still make up the largest part of the world's population. Generation "Z" was born digital, which represents its specificity compared to all previous ones.
"We won. "Tonight we made history for all the people of Florida, for Generation Z and all those who believe we deserve a better future," Frost wrote briefly on Twitter after it became clear that the people of Florida had given him their trust.
In the campaign, Frost paid more attention to his peers than to the older population. He focused on the issues of ending gun violence and the free sale of guns in the US, addressing climate change, the issue of abortion and supporting the program Medicare which should provide safe health insurance for all, affordable housing...
Because of his campaign activities, Frost had to quit his job, but he continued to drive Uber so he could pay the rent. Has not completed any college. Instead, he decided to pursue activism, which he says he was inspired by in elementary school when he became aware of the problems of inequality during the movement. "Occupy Wall Street" of 2011..
That the fight against gun violence will be his life's calling, Frost says he knew at the age of 15, when on December 14, 2012, twenty children and six adults were killed in an elementary school in the state of Connecticut. "I started organizing with my peers because I didn't want to get shot at school."
It is interesting that Frost also has roots from Cuba, because his grandmother came to America "with one suitcase and no money" in the mid-sixties.
How historic his victory is is shown by the fact that so far only twice has someone at the age of 25 managed to win elections and become a representative in Congress. Two years ago, Madison Cottom from North Carolina did it, and before her, the last twenty-five-year-old to serve in the House of Representatives was Thomas Downey, a New York Democrat elected in 1974.
Frost will be more than twice the age of his colleagues, given that the average age in the House of Representatives is 58 and more than half of Americans are millennials and younger. They are increasingly wondering who actually represents their interests in Congress. Maxwell believes people crave bold champions who believe in the transformative change America needs. That is what he will fight for.
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