ORLANDO, Fla. – John Morgan, a prominent attorney based in Orlando, has officially launched a contest offering a substantial $100,000 prize to whoever can come up with the best name for his newly founded political party in Florida. The contest was announced to begin on Tuesday.
Last month, Morgan made headlines with a video announcement stating that he would not pursue a political office. Instead, he emphasized his achievements in spearheading two successful constitutional campaigns—one advocating for marijuana legalization and another pushing for a minimum wage increase.
“While I won’t be running for governor,” Morgan stated in his announcement, “I strongly believe that most people share common ground on many issues. My experience with constitutional amendments has shown that when you remove party labels, there’s significant agreement among us.”
Earlier last year, Morgan revealed plans to establish a new political party in Florida, targeting those who feel politically homeless and are seeking a middle-ground solution.
At that time, the specifics of Morgan’s political aspirations were unclear, as he merely mentioned that legal preparations were underway.
However, Morgan recently unveiled a competition to name this political initiative, enticing participants with a $100,000 reward. The contest officially commenced on Tuesday, marking a new chapter in Morgan’s political endeavors.
HOW TO ENTER
In a release, a spokesperson for Morgan & Morgan announced that all U.S. residents ages 18 and older (19 years old in Alabama; and 21 years old in Mississippi) can participate in the challenge.
To do so, participants must visit the official contest website here. Entries are judged based on three main factors:
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Appeal (4 points) — “How compelling and relatable is the proposed party name to a broad audience? A strong entry should resonate widely and inspire confidence.”
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Creativity (3 points) — “How imaginative and inventive is the proposed political party name? Does it approach the contest theme in a fresh, unexpected way while remaining purposeful and grounded?”
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Originality (3 points) — “Is the proposed political party name genuinely new and distinct? It should stand as an independent idea.”
The submission period is slated to run through June 2, and the entry(s) with the highest judging score to be selected on or around June 16 at 1 p.m.
“If two or more entries submit the same party name and receive the same total score, the prize will be divided equally among them,” the release reads.
That said, entries are limited to one per person, and anyone caught violating that rule will be disqualified.
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.
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.”
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.
