Florida Democrat releases Spanglish ad

Maxwell Alejandro Frost, a Florida Democrat running in a contested primary for a House seat, released an ad Friday in unabashed Spanglish.

The ad features Frost speaking a mix of Spanish and English, with subtitles in either language.

“What we found is increasingly Latinos are in a place where their first language is Spanish but they speak English as well, and quite frankly that’s me,” Frost told The Hill.

“We speak Spanglish in the house, and I know that’s the same for a lot of Latino families in the district,” he added.

Frost is competing in a crowded field of 10 Democrats for the Orlando seat, one of the two open seats in Democratic areas of Florida.

Frost has outspent his opponents, but the wide field means at least former Rep. Alan Grayson and state Sen. Randolph Bracy are still in the fight along with Frost.

But Frost said his multicultural upbringing, highlighted in the ad, will help him with voters in the diverse district.

The newly drawn district encompasses the west Orlando Black neighborhoods that were the core of incumbent Democratic Rep. Val Demings’s district, working-class Hispanic neighborhoods on the east side of town and progressive, majority-white areas downtown and around the University of Central Florida. Demings is foregoing reelection to run for the Senate.

Frost, who is Black, was raised by his adoptive parents, a Cuban woman and a white man from Kansas, speaking both Spanish and English at home.

“This district encompasses almost all of Orlando,” said Frost.

“I’m someone who really can represent everyone not just in my ability to represent the constituents, but in my identity and my life,” he added.

Frost has collected a host of endorsements from groups dedicated to promoting diverse representation, including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’s campaign arm, Bold PAC, which encouraged Frost to release his final ad in Spanglish.

Florida’s primary election is on Tuesday.