ORLANDO, Fla. – John Morgan took to social media on Monday to announce a new initiative: a $100,000 prize for a contest to name his new third party here in Florida.
The Orlando attorney opened up his video statement by declaring he would not be running for office.
“For about the last year and a half, a lot of people have been asking me to run for governor of the state of Florida. It’s really quite an honor,” he said. “So today, I’m going to answer that question and tell you my plans.”
According to Morgan, his success with two constitutional campaigns — one for marijuana use and the other for the minimum wage — was already “more impactful than anything any governor has ever done.”
[BELOW: Orlando attorney John Morgan pushes for 3rd major political party]
“So I won’t be running for governor,” he continued. “But I do believe this: that most of us agree on most things. I’ve found that with my amendments, if you take the D down and the R down, we agree on most things together.”
Early last year, Morgan announced that he was starting up a new political party in Florida, claiming it would be “for those of us stuck in the middle.”
At the time, it wasn’t clear what Morgan hoped to achieve with his new party, simply stating that his lawyer was drafting up the paperwork.
During Monday’s announcement, though, Morgan revealed a contest to name the party — with a $100,000 prize for the winner.
“In the coming days, I’m going to be rolling out the paperwork that I’ve already got done to have a third party in Florida,” he explained.
WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR
Morgan hasn’t revealed much about what this new third party will be about, though the Orlando attorney has been vocal about his political beliefs in the past, and he spoke with News 6 during the 2024 election season to discuss some of the key political issues that he was pursuing.
In line with his moniker as Florida’s “Pot Daddy,” Morgan told News 6 that he was throwing his support behind Amendment 3, which aimed to legalize recreational marijuana. However, the amendment proposal was ultimately struck down by voters during the general election.
[BELOW: John Morgan said he is backing legalization of marijuana in Florida]
According to Morgan, his push for deregulating marijuana stems from his late brother, who had been injured in an accident at Disney years ago and used the drug to help treat his injury.
The celebrity lawyer also talked about his support for then-President Joe Biden, as well as his initial optimism about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
In 2019, DeSantis signed a bill legalizing the use of medicinal marijuana after calling on lawmakers to do so. But more recently, DeSantis came out against Amendment 3, claiming it would only help larger marijuana companies. As a result, Morgan said he became disillusioned with the governor.
“DeSantis says a few big marijuana companies who are footing the bill for this and got their foot in the door in Florida with medical marijuana are now going to make all the money on recreational marijuana,” Morgan said at the time.
[BELOW: How a legal battle with Disney helped create one of Orlando’s most powerful attorneys]
Speaking from his vacation home in Maui, Morgan told News 6 that his latest initiative is not an announcement of a gubernatorial run but rather a push to create a centrist alternative in the state’s political landscape.
“The left is crazy. The right is crazy. We are in the middle,” Morgan said in an interview.
Morgan argued that Florida’s political climate has become more focused on party labels than on issues.
Jim Clark, a senior history lecturer at the University of Central Florida who passed away in October, originally said Morgan’s influence in the state’s political landscape makes his effort significant after last year’s announcement.
[BELOW: John Morgan leaves Democratic Party]
“There’s as many independents and no-party-affiliation voters as there are Republicans,” Clark said. “John Morgan has a lot of influence. I think he wants to see the Democratic Party go back to what was successful for Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and get away from the far left.”
Despite his enthusiasm for the new movement, Morgan acknowledged the uncertainty of its success.
“I think there is a huge risk. I think it might not happen,” Morgan said. “But if you don’t try, if you don’t take a moonshot, you never go to the moon.”
Last year, Morgan mentioned “The People’s Party” and “The Sunshine Party” as potential names for his new party, though it remains to be seen what he will ultimately select.
No additional information about the contest has been provided at this time.