TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — You may know him as the “Godfather of Medical Marijuana.” Or perhaps, more bluntly, as Florida’s “Pot Daddy.” However, Personal Injury Attorney John Morgan might soon add another title to the list: candidate for governor.
Morgan, the billionaire founder of one of the world’s largest injury law firms, was in Tallahassee Wednesday pondering a possible 2026 gubernatorial bid—one that’s drawing some attention.
WATCH: ‘Pot Daddy’ to Politician? John Morgan Eyes 2026 Run for Florida Governor
Morgan is no stranger to the spotlight. From highway billboards to near-ubiquitous TV commercials—like the well-known “For the People” ads, his presence in Florida media can be as constant as the summer heat. But now, the 69-year-old legal titan says he’s giving a run for governor “serious” consideration.
“Every day that you wake up, you lean differently. You see stuff,” Morgan told reporters. “I mean, look what happened to property in this state. And by the way, [FL House Speaker] Danny Perez is right, the insurance companies were lying out their ass. They weren't losing money. They were making billions of dollars. This was a money grab for the governor to run for president, and who lost? Every homeowner in Florida.”
If he runs, Morgan says it would be as a third-party candidate, launching a campaign and a brand-new party in the process. To jumpstart that effort, he’s planning a contest after Memorial Day weekend with a cash prize for anyone who can come up with the perfect name.
Morgan’s top issues? Affordability and income inequality—issues he’s long championed through high-dollar support of Florida ballot initiatives, including ones that legalized medical marijuana and raised the state minimum wage.
“I think you should take it seriously. Okay?” Morgan said, when asked how real his consideration was. “Because you get to a point in life where—what are you going to do? You know, I can write checks. I will write checks. James Carville told me that a governor can do more good than any other person in the country.”
Morgan was a lifelong Democrat until 2017. He left the party after growing disillusioned and previously flirted with a gubernatorial run in 2018. Now, he's become a vocal critic of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who won that year.
Meanwhile, the political future of another prominent Floridian—First Lady Casey DeSantis—also remains a topic of speculation.
“I get why this is a big conversation, but I will also say it's more than a year away from qualifying,” the First Lady said in Brandon, Wednesday. “I mean, I think we need to be thinking about what the people put people into office to do, to try to make sure that they're delivering on the promises that they told the people they were going to do when they first got elected.”
Other potential contenders for the 2026 race include State Sen. Jason Pizzo, a former Democrat turned independent who told CBS Miami he’s running. Former GOP Congressman David Jolly, now a Democrat, is mulling a bid. And current Republican Congressman Byron Donalds, with the endorsement of former President Trump, is also in the mix.
“I do give the governor credit,” Donalds said. “He looks—as things stand in Florida today—his vision of the future of the state won, and it looks like those culture wars have pretty much come to an end.”
As for Morgan, he says he’ll decide on a run in September of 2026, after the primary. Morgan told the Capitol press corps he prefers a sprint to a marathon.
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