Bill McCollum Endorses Former Rival Rick Scott, Jabs Charlie Crist

Former Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum announced on Tuesday that he was endorsing Gov. Rick Scott for a second term. After a bitter primary in 2010 in which Scott won, McCollum refused to endorse his rival.

In 2010, Gov. Scott and I competed in a very close and hard fought primary, McCollum said before praising his former rivals record. Over the last four years, Gov. Scott has done a great job for Florida families and served our state very well. His record on helping Floridians create jobs and supporting education has helped families throughout our state, and I am proud to endorse him for re-election today.

McCollum then turned his fire on former Gov. Charlie Crist who he served with in the Cabinet. Crist, despite having won three statewide offices as a Republican, is the favorite for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

"As someone who served on the Florida Cabinet with then-Gov. Charlie Crist and had a good working relationship, I find many of his views and positions today vastly different, McCollum said. Gov. Crist always was proud to be known as Mr. Open Government. I find his recent refusal to release his and his spouse's tax returns very surprising and disappointing. Government in the sunshine has been the law, and transparency has been a bedrock principle of Florida government and Florida politics for many years. In making their decision in the governor's race this fall, Florida voters deserve to know the sources of income of the candidates and their spouses, and they deserve a governor committed to sunshine and transparency."