After leading U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost to victory in November, Kevin Lata was named 2022's Campaign Manager of the Year.
The American Association of Political Consultants honored Lata at the annual Pollie Awards. The organization recognizes both the top statewide campaign managers in the country, and those running regional races. Lata, who managed the successful campaign in Florida's 10th Congressional District, won the latter. Lata remains Frost's senior political advisor.
"It was a tremendous honor to help elect Maxwell Frost, the first Gen-Z member of Congress. Maxwell is the first and he certainly won't be the last," Lata said.
Frost won a reliably Democratic seat in November to succeed former U.S. Rep. Val Demings in the U.S. House. He took 59% of the vote over Republican Calvin Wimbish.
But the more impressive task happened earlier in the year, when the then-25-year-old emerged as the Democratic nominee for the open seat, defeating two former members of Congress, a state Senator and other prominent community leaders.
Frost credited Lata for much of the electoral success.
"Kevin was an incredible Campaign Manager and it's great he's getting this well-deserved recognition," Frost said. "It wasn't magic that we won a ten-way primary by 10 points as a heavy underdog after entering the race with zero name ID. Kevin led, drove, and pushed the campaign forward every step of the way and I'm beyond grateful for his leadership."
The Pollies recognize campaign consultants working across the political spectrum. The awards were given out in Palm Springs, California during the 2023 Pollie Awards and Conference.
Prior to his work with Frost, Lata managed two Democratic congressional campaigns in 2020 in two races targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee as Red To Blue contests. That included running Democrat Alan Cohn's campaign against Republican Scott Franklin and Democrat Margaret Good's challenge to Republican Vern Buchanan. Both those contests were won by Republicans.
But Lata also managed Good's successful run for a state House seat in a 2018 Special Election, which drew national attention. He also managed a City Council race in Brooklyn and worked as a New Hampshire organizer for Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign in 2016.
