Attorney John Morgan said he will not run for governor of Florida and will instead move forward with plans to organize a new political party, including offering a six-figure prize to help name it.
In a video released this week, Morgan said he had decided against mounting a gubernatorial bid after more than a year of speculation, opting instead to focus on developing a new statewide political party. He added that the initial paperwork for the organization has already been completed and that he plans to roll out additional details in the coming days before filing.
As part of that effort, Morgan said he will conduct a public contest to officially select a name for the party, with a $100,000 prize going to the winner. He did not provide additional details on what the contest would entail or how submissions would be judged.
Morgan has floated the idea of forming a new political party since at least 2024. Speaking to media at the time, he said the effort would target voters “stuck in the middle” and at one point suggested “Capitalist Party” as a possible name.
Morgan, the founder of personal injury firm Morgan & Morgan and a longtime political donor, has been a prominent figure in Florida politics for more than a decade. A former Democrat, he has funded several high-profile ballot initiatives, including the 2016 constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana and the 2020 amendment raising the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Morgan, who has since changed his registration to no party affiliation, said those efforts prompted supporters to encourage him to mount a gubernatorial run, but that he would only enter the race if a candidate he strongly opposed also ran. He said no such candidate ever materialized and jokingly added that the role would not have suited his schedule.
“I do believe my constitutional amendments has been more impactful than anything any governor has ever done, so I’m satisfied,” Morgan said.
Morgan reiterated his belief that the two-party system is failing voters and that a new political alternative is needed, one he hopes will take root in both Florida and across the country. He said his work on the constitutional amendments showed him that “most of us agree on most things,” but warned that once partisan labels are involved, “nothing gets done.”
Despite his frustration with partisanship, Morgan said he believes labels remain a necessary part of politics and that forgoing them entirely is ineffective.
“No labels doesn’t work because everybody wants to be a member of the team,” Morgan said. “Have you ever seen anybody walking around in a jersey with no logo and no number and no name? Hell no.”
I mean, just use one of your many slogans for your law firm and just call it the For the People Party. Only makes sense.