If he wins the open seat of Rep. Val Demings, the outspoken activist will become the first Generation Z and the only Afro-Cuban in Congress.
ORLANDO. Maxwell Frost’s campaign headquarters, tucked away in a sliver of downtown office, showcases the craziness of the fast-approaching primary: barely enough time to order takeout or run to the bathroom on marathon day. Flyers are strewn across tables and shelves throughout the office. The appeal to donors continues. Krispy Kreme donuts in the kitchen and an ironing board in the corner of the conference room.
Here, in a room filled with dozens of volunteers and campaign staff, there is both anticipation and urgency. Possibly because early voting had begun, two Democrats from the House of Representatives flew in to stir up the commotion. Perhaps it’s the $1.5 million that Frost has amassed, well ahead of his seasoned rival in the race for the vacant Rep. Val Demings. Maybe Frost himself.
At first glance, Frost looks like any other Gen Z: he scurries around the office with short, curly hair, khakis, multicolored sneakers and a black quarter-zip sweatshirt, occasionally mentioning TikTok in conversation. Then he dons a blue plaid suit with brown leather shoes (better for the Washington delegation), with a casual but confident smile on his face, he energizes the crowd well without being distracted by everyone’s attention.
Maxwell Alejandro Frost (center) calls his campaign headquarters in downtown Orlando. “Hi! I’m Maxwell Alejandro Frost, Democratic congressional candidate in Orlando, Florida. How are you?” he said almost word for word after dozens of simultaneous calls.
Clearly, he doesn’t fit into the typical Congressional candidate mold, and he has one. First, he is 25, the minimum age to serve in the House of Representatives. He is an Afro-Cuban, which is extremely rare in the state and country – a politician who is both black and Hispanic. He has yet to graduate from college and his priority is community organizing work (right to abortion; gun control). He never held public office. And he’s not rich: When he’s not on the campaign trail, he’s driving his Kia soul, checking into Uber for hours to make ends meet. (His car is currently in the shop, which means he has more time to devote to Tuesday’s main campaign.)
“We were all saved by more than one politician. This is not one leader,” Frost said to a crowded room. “This is how we are going to change Florida. When I say “change Florida” it’s not just about turning it from red to blue…my success, and my success is your success. ”
One of those legislators, Rep. David Cichillin, a Democrat from Rhode Island, stepped back and did his best. He traveled from Washington with Rep. Mark Takano of California to support the young upstart. He said it was the largest gathering he had seen at the campaign headquarters this year.
It’s clear that the lawmakers, volunteers and staff gathered here have embraced Frost’s vision – and they’re committed to seeing him win Tuesday’s navy-blue primary, which all but guarantees him a first Z. The only Afro-Cuban in a generation and Congress.
Polls show that victory may be within reach. A new poll by progressive politics and polling group Data for Progress shows Frost leading his primary Democratic opponent by a double-digit margin, with 34 percent of the vote. State Sen. Randolph Bracey and former Rep. Alan Grayson trailed him with 18 percent and 14 percent, respectively.
In the battlefield state, national headlines are increasingly focusing on two Floridians — former President Donald Trump and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis — whom Frost hopes to pave the way for a new generation of politicians. He was sure that this was the right place.
Volunteers, campaign staff, local union members and other Frost supporters say he is the future of the Democratic Party. They said he inspired them to get involved. They say they can’t imagine working so many hours for other people. They say he is the man who will lead the new political energy that Florida and the rest of the country desperately needs.
A new poll by progressive politics and polling group Data for Progress shows Frost leading his primary Democratic opponent by a double-digit margin, with 34 percent of the vote. State Sen. Randolph Bracey and former Rep. Alan Grayson trailed him with 18 percent and 14 percent, respectively. He will run in the Democratic primary on Tuesday, August 23, 2022.
Today, Cicilline, an 11-year House veteran, says the policy is “really disappointing. You look at what’s going on with conspiracy theorists and election deniers in Washington, and you can sit down and say, “We can get through this.” this is?
“But,” he said, “you will meet people like Maxwell … it will revive your faith in democracy and hope for the future.”
This is great hope and change for the 25 year old. But Cicilline is not the only veteran politician to be praised. Frost was supported by dozens of major groups and leaders at the local, state, and national levels, including Senators Elizabeth Warren (M.A.) and Bernie Sanders (M.A.), Rev. Jesse Jackson, Congressional Progressive Group. PAC (National Leaders for Gun Reform and Abortion Rights) and AFL-CIO. He was also supported by the top unions and local representatives in central Florida, as well as the Orlando Sentinel, who declared Frost “for every legitimate reason he couldn’t ignore.”
But despite all the funding and support, the big question remains: Will Orlando voters support a baby-faced newcomer in a crowded race that includes a former congressman and longtime state senator?
“This is why I quit my job. I drive an Uber to pay my bills. Honestly, it’s a sacrifice,” Frost said. “But I’m doing this because I can’t imagine that I’m only dealing with the problems that we have right now.”
He channeled that energetic energy as he sat with five young employees around an outdated wooden dining table with mismatched chairs, and sent a message to sponsors last night.
Many people don’t answer their phones. Some people hang up or ask him to get right down to business. Others congratulated him on his campaign. In general, Frost maintains the same high energy, determination to maintain good relations with sponsors and raise the necessary funds to close his campaign.
“Hi! I’m Maxwell Alejandro Frost, Democratic congressional candidate in Orlando, Florida. How are you?” he said almost word for word after dozens of simultaneous calls.
At the dinner table, the chaos of the last days of the campaign and the multitasking of the young team were demonstrated. Two volunteers called their cell phones at the same time. When someone asked Frost to answer the phone, the room immediately fell silent. They were surrounded by piles of mailing listings – Frost and his opponents – laptops and empty water bottles.
One volunteer spoke about how he was only a few days away from graduating from high school. Another spoke of voting earlier in the day. A friend drove three and a half hours from Miami to help. Another flew in from Washington
His sister Maria appeared, along with her puppy Cooper, wearing a yellow bumblebee harness. Cooper’s screams echoed through the room as Frost spoke to the voter. Everything stopped – briefly – for sushi for dinner. It will be a long night.
Maxwell Frost met with U.S. Representative Mark Takano (right) and Rep. David Cichillin (left), who came to show their support. Frost was supported by dozens of major groups and leaders at the local, state, and national levels, including Senators Elizabeth Warren (M.A.) and Bernie Sanders (M.A.), Rev. Jesse Jackson, Congressional Progressive Caucus Group. PKK and AFL-CIO.
Frost, who was adopted and raised in a Cuban family, proudly tells his family’s story: His mother came to the United States on a free flight from Cuba in the 1960s. She came with his grandmother Ye Ya and his aunt, and there was no money between them, only a suitcase. The family worked hard in their adopted country, but it was hard. Today, his mother is a public school teacher and has been teaching special education for nearly 30 years. (He rarely talks about his father.)
Frost attributes his love of music to growing up in a Cuban home, recalling waking up on Saturday mornings with the windows open to Latin American music and knowing it was time to clean up, a ritual in many Latin American homes. The love of music continued into his middle and high school years when he formed a salsa band while attending the Art Magnet School. It’s a little-known fact, he says, that his band Seguro Que Sí, which means “of course” in English, performed at the second inauguration parade for then-President Barack Obama.
But, as he said, his decision to run for Congress came from a different part of his personality. Last year, local organizers began suggesting Frost run for her vacant seat after it was revealed that Demings was running for the Senate in an attempt to oust Republican Marco Rubio.
However, at first he did not want to do this. Having campaigned in the past, he knows the many difficulties involved in running for office.
But that all changed when he contacted his biological mother last July. During an emotional call, she told him that she gave birth to him at the most vulnerable moment of her life. When she adopted him, Frost said, she was struggling with many ills—drugs, crime, and poverty—systemic issues that needed to be addressed in real life.
A CWA union member told Frost that the “fire-breathing” attitude attracted his supporters. “This is what we need! We need young blood.”
His radical impulses began early. At age 15, after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, he began organizing events to end gun violence by participating in protests and knocking on doors. His resolve and commitment has only been strengthened in the face of several mass shootings in his state: the 2016 shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, and the shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
“When we have protests, we don’t even have to tell him about it,” Curtis Hierro, senior legislative and policy director for the American Communications Workers Association in Florida, told a dozen union members in a local union hall. door in support of Frost. “Maxwell is reality because you are part of the movement, you understand the movement and that is what you live and breathe.”
Before his work came to the attention of the Florida American Civil Liberties Union, Frost held a number of campaign and event management positions, and in 2018 he worked to secure the 4th Amendment, which restored the voting rights of more than 1.6 million people. Florida felony convictions Most recently, he was the national director of the March for Our Lives, a youth movement dedicated to preventing gun violence.
“Someone made the comment the other day, ‘You were 15 ten years ago,’” Frost said slightly annoyed. “Yeah, I’m 15 – we live in a 15 year old country and I had to worry about getting shot at school so I started acting, how sad is that?”
In the lobby of his campaign headquarters, there is a large painting of Manuel Oliver, father of Joaquin, one of the students killed in the Parkland shooting. Against a bright yellow background, images of Joaquin and Frost and a poignant message: “Time to save lives! So get on board or get out of the way!”
His radical impulses began early. At age 15, after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, he began organizing events to end gun violence by participating in protests and knocking on doors. His resolve and commitment has only been strengthened in the face of several mass shootings in his state: the 2016 shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, and the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
Frost’s platform is not only about ending gun violence, but also about “the future we deserve.” In mail-order advertising, his campaign broke down his priorities, which coincide with those of the progressive left: Medicare for all, safe streets and an end to gun violence, affordable housing, a living wage, and 100% clean energy.
However, victory in Tuesday’s primary is not guaranteed. His biggest challengers among the 10 candidates are Bracey and Grayson, who filed at the last minute in June after they lost their bid in the US Senate.
In a recent email ad, Frost directly attacked both of them: Grayson was “corrupt.” Bracey was “compromising”. Both candidates retreated; Grayson’s campaign said it sent a cease and desist letter to Frost.
“What Frost said about me and Senator Bracey is clearly wrong,” Grayson said in a statement to POLITICO. In a statement, he said that Frost’s ad was a “desperate move by a longtime liar”.
“I’m just introducing a new type of policy,” he said. “I’m from somewhere else. I am not a lawyer. I am not a millionaire. I am an organizer.
“When we have protests, we don’t even have to tell him about it,” Curtis Hierro, senior legislative and policy director for the American Communications Workers Association in Florida, told a dozen union members in a local union hall. door in support of Frost. He is supported by leading unions and local representatives from central Florida, as well as by the Orlando Sentinel.
In June, less than two weeks after the Uvald Elementary School shooting, Frost was one of several activists who vandalized an Orlando event DeSantis attended with conservative political commentator Dave Rubin. In a video that went viral on social media, Frost walked up to the stage and yelled, “Governor. DeSantis, we’re losing 100 people a day to gun violence. Governor, we need you to take action on gun violence… take action. Florida people are dying.”
A CWA union member told Frost that the “fire-breathing” attitude attracted his supporters. “This is what we need! We need young blood.”
It’s been a long day and it’s going to be another long night – he hosted a fundraiser sponsored by some of the biggest local donors in Baldwin Park, one of the city’s richest neighborhoods. There, he will work in a room while diners listen intently while sipping wine and munching mini Cuban sandwiches.
But now, before he can eat some jalapenos for lunch, he heads to the CWA union hall, where Hierro and his members are getting ready to get some extra support for him. Many of them already knew Frost and offered hugs. Some came from neighboring counties to show support.
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Post time: Aug-24-2022
