After a November of disappointment and heartbreak, Democratic voters in Florida seems ready to toy with a strategy that served Republican counterparts in recent cycles. And Florida political press, already turning its attention toward the 2018 governor’s race, has focused on John Morgan, an Orlando known better for his ambulance chasing prowess than his political involvement.

Morgan has negatives, of course. happens to be disliked by many in the legal field, partly for turning Morgan & Morgan into the McDonald’s of Florida law firms by opening offices in every market and blitzing the air waves with his “For The People” ads, but also because of radio spots sowing doubts in the corporate clients Morgan tends to target in jury trials. The Chamber of Commerce surely would go after Morgan with a zeal never seen.

And he’s a famous drinker. Sarasota activist and blogger Rich Swier has heavily promoted Morgan’s 1997 arrest for driving under the influence and assaulting a Casselberry cop. Swier’s posts on the matter are the first to come up if you Google “John Morgan DUI” but plenty more will be written about this in 2017. Plus, anyone who tries to pinpoint the moment in 2014 when a medical marijuana referendum moved from certain-to-pass to bound-to-fail looks to an online video of an inebriated Morgan slurring expletives during a pitch to young voters in a Lakeland bar.

But in the age of Donald Trump, President of the United States, who gives a darn about a bad reputation? Morgan’s the rare Democrat who is also a household name in the Sunshine State, whether voters love him, loathe him or have him to thank for a big settlement check. 

Of course, don’t expect establishment Democrats to roll over. Gwen Graham, an outgoing Congressman from the Panhandle, announced earlier this year she would focus on the 2018 governor’s race instead of running in a redrawn Congressional district that would doom any Democrat, even the daughter of beloved ex-Gov. Bob Graham. Another outgoing Congressman, Patrick Murphy, just got wiped out statewide trying to oust Sen. Marco Rubio, but Florida has a history of giving statewide failures a second chance (see Jeb Bush, Bill Nelson) and Murphy seems poised to run.

But party regulars do seem more open than usual to a donor-turned-candidate, especially one with legal chops. Kevin Griffth, vice chair of the Sarasota Democratic Party, notes that whatever happened in 2014, Morgan also played a role in getting medical marijuana passed this year even as Democrats suffered at the ballot box in Florida. Few statewide candidates win 60 percent of the vote, the threshold for getting a constitional amendment ratified in Florida."The fact John Morgan was involved on a policy level with an amendment that was put on the ballot twice, that makes him very different," Griffith says.

Of course, Griffith readily heaps praise on all the candidates. Graham won in a tough district during a Republican wave in 2014. Murphy has statewide donors. And don't forget Bob Buckhorn, who boasts executive experience as mayor of Tampa.

It's crowded field, but that shouldn’t be a bad thing. That may be the biggest lesson Democrats must learn from past failures.

Morgan’s appeal for the moment may be a desire among Democrats to find their own private sector populist. Gov. Rick Scott surprised them with a narrow 2010 win despite a lack of elected experience. Donald Trump just did the same.

But more importantly, both Trump and Scott survived bruising primaries and won anyhow. Scott also shocked Republicans when he defeated Attorney General Bill McCollum in 2010, but Republicans who favored the long-time official rallied around the retired executive. Trump emerged from a 17-person field, rudely dispatching a couple of favorite Florida sons—Bush and Rubio—on his way to winning this critical swing state.

Meanwhile, Democrat Alex Sink in 2010 bullied her toughest primary opponents out of the race before voters could weigh in. Clinton seemed a foregone conclusion for the Democratic nominee, her primary opposition fueled by dislike for that inevitability as much as Bernie Sanders’ appeal. A real contest would quench the Democrats thirst for debate. If nothing else, Morgan’s celebrity and wealth means he can’t be brushed aside by the powers that be. His candidacy would guarantee a choice, one for the people.

Jacob Ogles is contributing senior editor to SRQ Media Group.