Scott Shocker: Upstart Tops McCollum in GOP Primary

Naples millionaire will face Dem Sink for Governor

In the end, Florida's Republican voters went with the outsider over the career politician.

Carrying big-business credentials and an antiestablishment message, Naples millionaire Rick Scott won the GOP gubernatorial nomination Tuesday over Bill McCollum, the state attorney general and former congressman.

Scott, who overcame repeated questions about a massive Medicare fraud scandal during the time he was CEO of the Columbia/HCA hospital corporation, sold himself to Florida Republicans as a "conservative outsider" and ran scores of commercials depicting McCollum as an ineffective career politician desperate to hold onto public office.

"Today's vote rocked the political establishment in this state, the voters have a mind of their own and they found that out tonight," Scott told supporters late Tuesday. "It's sobering news for the special interests, they know I don't owe them anything."

Scott spent more than $38 million of his own money on the primary campaign, and the state Republican Party nearly emptied its coffers helping McCollum counter the avalanche of negative ads.

With almost all the votes counted, Scott had 47 percent of the vote to McCollum's 43. The third GOP candidate, Mike McCalister, got 10 percent. Scott will face Democrat Alex Sink and independent candidate Lawton "Bud" Chiles III in the Nov. 2 general election.

"Now, my opponents have spent the past few months attacking each other, but you and I know what we need is a governor who's going to attack Florida's challenges," Sink told supporters.

Scott's and McCollum's nasty attacks on one another during the campaign -- including in two televised debates -- tended to overshadow the issues during the primary campaign. McCollum hammered Scott repeatedly for his leadership of Columbia/HCA, which ended up paying $1.7 billion to settle the criminal fraud charges. Scott, who was forced out as CEO by his board amid the government investigation in 1997, has said repeatedly that he didn't know about any criminal activity and was never charged.

Scott said he expects to hear those attacks all over from the Democrats as the general election campaign begins.

"I have some news for the special interests as they gear up to attack," he said. "(Voters) have already heard all the wild charges in this primary, and they rejected them."

McCollum, who has twice run unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate, faltered despite numerous endorsements and wide support among the state's Republican establishment, including former Gov. Jeb Bush.

He took a parting shot at Scott in his concession statement, which he e-mailed to reporters.

"This race was one for the ages," he wrote. "No one could have anticipated the entrance of a multi-millionaire 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."

But Scott's message resounded with many voters dissatisfied with business-as-usual government. He promised to create jobs and run state government like an efficient business, cutting costs and services to balance the budget. He proposed cutting corporate taxes, easing regulations and taking other steps to attract new business to Florida.

"Our goal is very simple," he said. "We want to improve the quality of life for every single Floridian. And the only way to do that is to make the government work for us. I want to thank every voter that went to the polls to cast a vote to end politics as usual in Tallahassee and turn our state around."

Incoming Senate President Mike Haridopolos said he and other Republican leaders will work with Scott.

"It's an antiestablishment year," said Haridopolos, a McCollum supporter who campaigned with him on the final weekend. "He played that card well and backed it up with a lot of money."

McCollum was the party's presumptive nominee until Scott jumped in the race suddenly in April. Having moved to Florida seven years ago from Connecticut, he took a high-profile role in fighting President Barack Obama's health care law last year and had become a favorite of the tea party movement.

Scott had tried to position himself as even more conservative that McCollum, who as a congressman in the 1980s was a loyal foot soldier to President Ronald Reagan. Scott exploited McCollum's flip-flop on whether a measure like the tough Arizona immigration law was necessary in Florida.

For complete election results, click here.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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