FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 19, 2022

Media Contact: Talia Wlcek // [email protected]

Youth Rights Group Voters of Tomorrow Slams Former Rep. Alan Grayson for Ageist Attacks

Gen-Z Activists Call on Grayson to Apologize to Opponent Frost and Recant Offensive Statements

Yesterday, Punchbowl News reported on an ageist attack by former Rep. Alan Grayson on Maxwell Frost’s historic campaign for Florida’s 10th Congressional District. Voters of Tomorrow, a Gen Z-led non-profit that represents and engages young people in politics, issued the following statement:

“Rep. Grayson has been running for some form of office since 2006, ultimately resulting in two failed bids for the U.S. Senate and three non-consecutive terms in the House of Representatives. With the primary election approaching this Tuesday, his campaign launched attacks against the candidate who has defined this race: 25-year old Maxwell Frost. He claimed the many endorsements that Frost has received are needed ‘to validate himself in some way, shape or form’ due to his age. For an individual who wrote his thesis on gerontocracy and is currently in his mid-60s, it’s a surprise to see Grayson pushing such blatant attacks on a political rival based on his youth. This ageism invalidates the personal and professional experiences that make Frost’s campaign so historic. These experiences are why so many local, state, and national organizations and political figures have thrown their support behind Maxwell’s campaign, including Voters of Tomorrow back in November of 2021.” 

“Alan Grayson is not a serious candidate, having at least three websites devoted to his numerous failed campaigns, including one which currently doubles as advertising for a Bitcoin casino and advocates for issues in Maryland, not Florida. Additionally, his most recent run for FL-10 includes two-thirds of his nearly $600,000 in campaign contributions coming from a personally financed loan of $400,000. His most recent vanity run is exactly why Voters of Tomorrow is working hard to elect an advocate for young voters and youth rights in Maxwell Frost.”

“Rep. Grayson, has failed to hold consecutive terms, has never been re-elected and has had party leadership publicly attack his candidacy throughout his career. Talking about his first campaign for Senate in 2016, current Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stated that, ‘I’ve never thought much about Grayson as a candidate… And now it’s, of course, much, much worse’. Late Senator Harry Reid stated, ‘We are feeling really good about what’s going on in Florida with Grayson’s ex-wife telling everybody what a rat he is.’ It surely must bother Alan Grayson that Maxwell Frost, who has spent 40 less years in the political arena, has already managed to garner more support from influential political figures and organizations.”

“Grayson said that Frost lacks ‘any practical experience whatsoever in public office or even campaigning.’ Despite his lack of ‘any practical experience’, Frost has outraised and outspent any other candidate in this race and even been endorsed by some of Grayson’s self-described heroes, such as Senator Elizabeth Warren. Even at a young age, Maxwell has gained valuable experience through his time pushing for the changes young people want to see in politics. Whether it be with the ACLU persuading President Biden to repeal the Hyde Amendment or leading the legal fight to pass Amendment 4, which gave felons the right to vote, Maxwell Frost has spent his entire career fighting for those who have been left behind by Alan Grayson’s generation of politicians.’

“To describe Frost as inexperienced is not only downright false but an insult to his years of organizing, outreach and coalition-building. These attacks are rooted in Alan Grayson’s own fear of losing. They are simply an ugly political tactic designed to undermine the political momentum that Maxwell Frost has built with the help of Gen Z, working families, and people desperate for change in our government. Unlike Alan Grayson, Maxwell is not running for office to fulfill some sort of vanity project–he’s running to redefine what it means to be an elected representative. Voters of Tomorrow stands by our endorsement of Maxwell Frost and calls on Alan Grayson to recant his ageist comments before Tuesday’s primary election.”

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