Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), the first Gen Z member of Congress, campaigned at the University of Minnesota Tuesday to support the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz presidential campaign.

The congressman spoke to classrooms, drove students to the polls, visited Coffman Memorial Hall, and held a tabling and chalking event on the Washington Avenue Bridge.

Throughout the day, Frost and his team encouraged students to vote at the Weisman Art Museum’s early voting event, which took place from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

“We’re out here promoting Harris-Walz and Democrats up and down the ticket,” Frost said. “We’re not taking (student) votes for granted.”

Frost said University students were engaging with the tabling event and enthusiastic about voting.

“This is amazing weather. Really good energy here and a lot of the students are really interacting with the organizers as they’re asking them to vote which is really cool,” Frost said.

Prior to being elected, Frost was an organizer with the American Civil Liberties Union and a national organizing director for the gun control group March for Our Lives.

Frost became the youngest member of Congress when he was elected in 2022 to represent Florida’s 10th Congressional District which encompasses Orlando.

While typically aligned with progressives in the Democratic Party compared to the more moderate Harris, Frost said he’s worked with Harris before and that her antitrust and pro-labor positions speak for themselves.

“When it comes down to this election between Donald Trump and Harris, I’m with Harris. It’s a super binary choice,” Frost said.

Harris ran the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which was created with an executive order but based on a bill written by Frost.

When voting, Frost said students should be “selfish” by considering what their most important issues are. For him, that issue is housing.

“Vice President Harris is the first presidential candidate to really lead with a housing platform,” Frost said.

The day’s events

Frost and a team of about 15 volunteers were planted near the Washington Avenue Bridge from 9 to 11 a.m. in sight of the early voting event at the Weisman Art Museum. They asked passing students to vote early over at the Weisman.

The group also chalked the words “Vote Harris Walz” and “Go Vote” onto the ground.

“I think students are excited. It is 10 a.m., so they’ll be on the come up soon,” University of Minnesota Democrats club Vice President Lexi Cornolo said.

At 11:15 a.m., Frost shared his journey and experience in Congress with a U.S. Campaigns and Elections class in Anderson Hall.

While campaigning, Frost said he took a major financial risk running for Congress. Had he lost his election, he said he would be in financial ruin.

This heavy financial burden of running for office, Frost said, disincentivizes many young people from seeking political office, which is why people in Congress tend to be far older.

“You don’t get paid to run for Congress. I got priced out of my apartment and I was homeless for two months. I drove Uber every night for about a year to pay my bills and live off credit cards,” Frost said to the class. “It’s just too damn impossible to run for office.”

After being elected, he recalled people telling him that he could either be loud and stand up for what he believes in or be quiet and effective. Frost said that idea is “BS” and a “false binary choice.”

Afterward, the congressman headed to Coffman and met with local state House Rep. Mohamud Noor, who is also up for reelection.

The pair went to the second floor of Coffman and spoke to Mi Gente, Feminist Student Activist Collective, Queer Student Cultural Center, Black Student Union and more, advising students to make an early voting plan.

Once Noor and Frost had spoken with everyone on the second floor, they went downstairs and again implored the around 50 students waiting in line for the Nutritious U Food Pantry to vote early.

Frost’s day in Minnesota ended with a “knock and drag” event where he knocked on doors and offered to drive people to the polls.

Frost already held an event in Ohio the day prior, and he plans to visit the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina in the next five days.