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Morgan On Potential Governor's Run: "Time Is My Friend"

Ben Pollara & John Morgan. Photo: Catherine Welch
Attorney John Morgan, right, says he's confident medical marijuana will pass in 2016. Photo: Catherine Welch

Orlando attorney John Morgan has outlined a list of things he thinks the next governor of Florida should do. But he said he still needs more time to decide whether he’ll run for governor himself.

Morgan has been the public face of the push to legalize medical marijuana in Florida, and after voters approved a constitutional amendment last week, his supporters are calling on him to run for governor.

In an article posted on Medium, Morgan wrote he has a ‘pretty clear vision of what Florida’s next governor should do.’

That vision includes decriminalizing marijuana, raising the minimum wage to 15 dollars an hour, and restoring voting and other rights to non-violent felons who’ve paid their debt to society.

Morgan also said four years as governor would be enough time to get what he wants done.

But he said he needs more time to think about whether to run, and with statewide name recognition and the ability to self-fund his campaign, Morgan could wait until 2018 to launch a campaign.

Orlando political analyst Frank Torres said name recognition will help Morgan if he decides to run, but there could be some hurdles too.

“Some minuses I might see off the bat, are his off the cuff remarks that he often says in the media and the public spotlight," said Torres.

"But from what we learned in the Donald Trump campaign this year, that might not necessarily be a negative, it might be a positive, that straightforward talking style,” he said.

Torres said Morgan’s not the only high profile Democrat eyeing the governor’s mansion.

“Right now it looks like Congresswoman Gwen Graham, the daughter of a former governor and a very popular congresswoman is gearing up for a run. She’s openly voiced her interest into that possibility, and we could see some other Democrats take a good hard look at it as well," he said.

"There will likely be a primary, and a competitive one at that.”

 Torres said Republican names to keep in mind for 2018 include Florida agriculture commissioner Adam Putnam and Florida’s chief financial officer Jeff Atwater.