More than 35,000 people across the country submitted potential names for Orlando attorney John Morgan’s new political party.
And now, the results are in.
John Morgan, the billionaire attorney and founder of law firm Morgan & Morgan, says he will create a new, third political party called the Common Ground Party.
More than 250 people submitted this name for consideration after the naming contest was announced in April. According to a news release from Morgan & Morgan, every entrant who pitched the name “Common Ground Party” will get an equal cut of the $100,000 prize that Morgan promised.
“We will be known as ‘Grounders,’” Morgan shared in a video posted to social media Wednesday. “Whether this works or not, I don’t know. But it’s worth a try to undo the gridlock, the hate, and all of the meanness that has fallen into politics on all sides.”
Morgan formally announced his decision to launch a new political party on the same day he confirmed to Floridians that he would not run to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis this year — despite encouragement he received to do so this cycle and in the past.
“I do like living in Hawaii, I do like my marijuana, and I do like spending time with my grandchildren,” Morgan explained in an earlier video announcement, offering up his reasons for softly rejecting a gubernatorial run. Serving as Florida governor, Morgan claimed, would disrupt his ability to engage in his favored activities.
“I would do it if someone entered the race that I really had a problem with, and I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Morgan said. He hasn’t endorsed any of the candidates in the running so far.
Still, Morgan believes the current political system in America is “broken” and that both the Democratic and Republican parties are too divisive these days. After bankrolling Florida ballot initiatives to raise the state minimum wage and legalize medical marijuana, Morgan wants the launch of a new political party to be his next chapter.
“Going forward, we’re going to start trying to register people to join our party, the Common Ground, with common-sense people making common-sense decisions for our future,” Morgan said on social media Wednesday. “Congratulations to the winners, and to all you future Grounders out there, let’s go change America for the better and for the people.”
Morgan himself left the Democratic Party in 2017 to register as a No Party Affiliation voter. He’s not the only one sporting the alternative NPA label, or showing the Democratic establishment that voters are tired of the status quo. Even the right-wing “Make America Great Again” movement is facing splinters.
Of the more than 13 million people who are registered to vote in Florida as of May 31, roughly 5.5 million voters are registered as Republicans, 4 million are registered as Democrats, and 3.8 million voters are registered as NPA or with another minor party.
Morgan has not yet rolled out a policy platform for his new political party or an agenda. Instead, the vague idea shared publicly so far is to establish a third party that “sits in the middle.”
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