Why would he? John Morgan, that is. Run for governor, that is.
As we’ve seen, Morgan, 61, has formally announced that he will not be a candidate for Florida governor next year. Even though he was polling best among Democrats. Even though Democrats really, really need somebody like him to get the vote out and even the score statewide.
Morgan has his reasons. Ours not to quibble.
He’s independently wealthy. He doesn’t owe anybody. He’s free to pick and choose his issues and weigh in where he wants with serious-dollar impact. That’s a helluva place to be.
He can also pick and choose where he goes, who he drinks with and what he says about anyone and anything that crosses his mind. If he decides to buy last round, he will. He’ll joke with bartenders as well as budtenders.
He doesn’t need to outsource his values and opinions to marketers, strategists and focus groups. He is his own man–and would never be caught pandering to those who might not agree with him. He’d rather talk at a Tiger Bay luncheon than a political debate.
He’s used to winning and being surrounded by winners. He doesn’t suffer fools because he doesn’t have to. And Tallahassee is hardly a fool-free zone.
He belongs on the left-hand side of the spectrum, and the righteous hypocrites of the Florida Legislature remain prominent among the GOPster majority. Who needs that element in your life?
There’s a gut reason why John “For the People” Morgan has gone this long without running for office. And nothing has changed except he has more money, more autonomy–and partisan politics keeps getting more poisonous.