Bill McCollum conceded his loss in the Republican governor's primary early Wednesday morning without endorsing the victor, millionaire Rick Scott.
"The votes today have been tallied and I accept the voters' decision," McCollum said.
"This race was one for the ages. No one could have anticipated the entrance of a multimillionaire with a questionable past who shattered campaign spending records and spent more in four months than has ever been spent in a primary race here in Florida.
"While I was disappointed with the negative tone of the race, I couldn't be more proud of our campaign and our supporters for fighting back against false and misleading advertising when we were down by double-digits."
McCollum's spokeswoman, Kristy Campbell, said Wednesday morning that McCollum had not spoken to Scott. When asked if he planned to endorse Scott in his race against Democrat Alex Sink, Campbell said that McCollum is focused on helping other Republicans, such as Marco Rubio who is running for U.S. Senate.
"He and Mr. Scott have not talked," she said.
McCollum will now serve out the remainder of his term as attorney general until early January. He will focus on fighting the new federal healthcare law and supporting Arizona's new immigration law.
And after that, "I think he is looking forward to being engaged in these issues and the fight as a citizen," Campbell said.
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