UPDATED: 05 JAN 2024 03:53 PM EST
Prominent Florida trial attorney John Morgan, known as the godfather of Florida’s medical marijuana amendment and a Democratic fundraiser, may add another title to his résumé: Florida governor.
Morgan this week teased a potential 2026 run on social media, saying “maybe I should run for Governor… as an Independent” in response to a recent story about Gov. Ron DeSantis touting Florida’s gradual minimum wage hike.
Morgan was the architect of the state’s 2020 initiative to increase Florida’s minimum wage to $15 by 2026 and took issue with DeSantis highlighting it while campaigning in Iowa for the GOP presidential nomination. The Republican Florida governor opposed it several years ago.
“This is hilarious. And why we despise most politicians,” he posted on X, formerly Twitter. “@GovRonDeSantis fought me tooth and nail along with his usual suspects.”
In a statement to POLITICO, Morgan said he can wait a long time before jumping in since "Florida knows who I am ... for better or worse. And I don’t need to raise money.”
“You find yourself at age 67 wondering if you have done enough and if you should have done more," he said. "So I have left the door open in my mind to watch it all play out."
This isn’t Morgan’s first time floating a potential run for governor. During the 2018 election cycle, Morgan weighed — but ultimately turned down — a run for the Democratic nomination, saying at the time that “I can’t muster the enthusiasm to run for the nomination.”
He added: “I plan to register as an Independent and when I vote, vote for the lesser of two evils. And if I ever ran, run as an Independent.”
Morgan has widespread name recognition in the state, in part because of television ads for his legal practice that have dominated the airwaves in Florida for years. He’s also spearheaded several successful ballot initiatives, including one legalizing medical marijuana.
Despite being two years away, the field for the 2026 gubernatorial race is already taking shape since DeSantis is in his second term and can’t run again. Florida GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz and Byron Donalds are both expected to mount a bid, though Gaetz regularly denies that he’s interested. Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez and Attorney General Ashley Moody, both Republicans, have also been discussed as potential candidates.
On the Democratic side, state Sen. Shevrin Jones of Miami Gardens has said he’s weighing a bid, as is Florida House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell.
Morgan this week also suggested that if he ran, he’d want former NBA star Grant Hill, who lives in Central Florida, to be his running mate. Hill’s name was previously floated as a possible candidate to run against Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who is up for reelection in 2024.
Morgan has supported Hill’s candidacy, telling the Orlando Sentinel last year that “a beloved celebrity makes a much better candidate than some political hack, especially when as smart and charismatic as Grant.”
Whether Morgan is serious about a run this time is yet to be seen, but he already suggested that if he was elected, he’d ensure that the Florida Legislature meet every two years instead of annually because “every time these folks get together they fuck the people over for the benefit of a few powerful interests.”
He also hinted that, not surprisingly, he wouldn’t be a typical elected official.
“One thing is for sure… We will all be smoking legal weed at the inauguration,” he posted.
