ORLANDO, Fla. – A $100,000 contest kicked off last month to name Orlando attorney John Morgan’s new political party here in Florida — and the results have just been revealed.
In a release, Morgan said that the campaign brought in over 35,000 submissions nationwide to name his party, which he says will be for those “who feel left behind by both major parties.”
On Wednesday, the winning name was announced: “The Common Ground Party.”
“People who join the Common Ground Party will be known as ‘Grounders,’” the release reads. “Notably, more than 250 people from different places and different backgrounds submitted this name independently.”
Now, the $100,000 prize will be divided equally among the winning entrants, so long as they return the required release. That form was sent to each person who submitted the winning name.
“The contest was a great exercise,” Morgan said. “It showed me that many of you, like me, believe our political system is broken. That we agree on more than we disagree on, yet nothing ever gets done. So this is step one. Going forward, we will try to start registering people for the party.”
In a video statement earlier this year, Morgan declared that he himself wouldn’t be running for office, though he touted his success with two constitutional campaigns: one for marijuana use and the other for the minimum wage.
Morgan also hasn’t revealed many specifics surrounding what this new third party will be about, though he 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.
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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 that 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.
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.
“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.”