McCollum Buries Hatchet, Endorses Scott for Florida Governor After Bruising Primary

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum on Saturday endorsed Republican Rick Scott for governor, after withholding his support for two months following their bruising GOP primary battle.

With 10 days to go until the election, McCollum issued a brief statement in support of Scott.

"Florida is facing a critical time. Our state needs conservative leaders who will grow our economy and create jobs. We need merit pay and an end to teacher tenure in our public schools, major litigation reform, smaller government, low taxes and a repeal of Obamacare," McCollum said. "With this in mind, I will cast my vote for Rick Scott for governor. It's the better choice for Florida."

Scott is engaged in a tight race against Democrat Alex Sink, the state's chief financial officer.

McCollum's endorsement had been in question after Scott pulled off an upset win over the established political figure in the August primary.

At the time, McCollum lamented the "negative tone" of the campaign and criticized Scott for spending gobs of campaign cash to defeat him.