U.S. Representative Maxwell Frost visited the University of Arizona Wednesday, Aug. 28  to appeal to young voters on behalf of the Kamala Harris and Tim Walz presidential campaign.

Frost is the first member of Congress from Generation Z and has built a strong platform of young voters by addressing the issues that matter most to them.

“Some of the most pressing issues to young adults and students that are beginning to affect us are student loans, reproductive rights, and gun control,” said Athena Shao, senior at the UA and a Tucson local. “[Gun control] has affected our generation more than the others and that needs to be addressed.”

Shao, along with others, spoke before Frost took to the microphone at Snakes and Lattes on University Boulevard. Other speakers included junior Grady Campbell, a member of Keep Arizona Blue, and Patrick Robles, the Southern Arizona Political Director for the Harris-Walz Campaign and former UA student body president.

Robles was the final speaker and the one who introduced Frost. Robles kept his remarks short but shared that he couldn’t help but look around the room where the event was held and be inspired by all of the people who showed up who are willing to fight for their community. 

“As we realize our power as a demographic, it is important to choose candidates that fight for our values,” Robles said.

Robles said Rep. Frost recognizes the power of the Gen Z vote.

Frost, a strong proponent of ending gun violence, said he got involved with politics when he was 15 because he didn’t want to get shot.

As a vice chairman of the Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, Frost has made his stances very clear publicly and shared how the issue has affected him.

“I didn’t want to get shot in school, I didn’t want to get shot in church and I didn’t want to get shot on my block,” Frost said. “So that is really what spurred me into action.”

Frost didn’t know anything about organizing or policy when he first got started but his passion drove him forward.

Frost shared a personal story of how he created a petition that said “petition to end gun violence” and went around asking for signatures.

“I think about that moment a lot because it was the first time in my life where I identified a problem, looked at the people around me and saw them as a part of the solution,” Frost said.

Frost said the reason he’s currently traveling the country campaigning for Vice President Harris is because he really believes in her. He has personal experience with her heading the White House’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which has made him passionate about her being the next president.

Frost shared that he was originally skeptical and thought his appointment to the office was just to placate him, but he was quickly proved wrong.

“They hired black and brown survivors of gun violence. Working class people who had survived gun violence and put them in positions of power within this office,” Frost said. “Under the vice president’s leadership hundreds of millions of dollars have been poured into communities across the country to fund community based violence intervention centers.”

Frost shared that he’s seen the work of this office impact his own community in Florida’s 10th district, which he represents.

“It’s from working with her on that and working with her on many other issues that’s allowed me to see her passion on every single issue that a lot of young people care about,” Frost said.

During a Q&A section following his address, Frost shared his confidence about whether a Harris presidency would be receptive to young voters on topics where they differ from democratic precedent.

“I 100% believe that this presidency under Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will be something that young people are excited about and see themselves represented in,” Frost said. “We have to be clear that Kamala Harris is now the leader of our party, so what she is setting forth is the platform of our party. Working on the housing crisis, defeating the climate crisis, working to codify Roe v. Wade, working to end gun violence, all of these are issues young voters care about and Harris has proven herself as someone who cares about these issues.”

Nearing the end of his address, Frost mentioned the impact of young voters in Arizona.

“We know to win this election, we must win Arizona,” Frost said. “Here’s the key, we will win Arizona and not just Kamala Harris, but Ruben Gallego, and democrats up and down the ballot, but the only way we’re gonna do that is if young people go out and vote.”

Frost said that it’s going to be the UA campus that’s going to play an instrumental role in electing Kamala Harris in Arizona come November.

“As student organizers, you guys are lucky because the people you’re trying to reach, you get to see them on a day-to-day basis,” Frost said.

Frost challenged students with the question of what role they want to play in this election and how they want to play a role in this election.

“We need you to vote, but your job is not done,” Frost said. “We need you to go out and get more people to vote.”

Frost concluded by encouraging everyone present at his address to organize from a place of grace and from a place of love.

“In organizing you get the chance to invite people into this,” Frost said, referring to the Harris-Walz campaign. “And this is exciting as hell, and this is how we save lives, not just in Arizona but in the entire country.”

Follow the Daily Wildcat on Instagram and Twitter/X