Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) endorsed Donald Trump's presidential bid on Wednesday, one day after Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) bowed out of the race following a resounding loss to Trump in the Sunshine State.
"With his victories yesterday, I believe it is now time for Republicans to accept and respect the will of the voters and coalesce behind Donald Trump," Scott said in a
statement posted to Facebook.
"If we spend another four months tearing each other apart, we will damage our ability to win in November," he added. "It’s time for an end to the Republican on Republican violence. It’s time for us to begin coming together, we’ve had a vigorous primary, now let’s get serious about winning in November."
The endorsement comes after days of
painful interviews, during which Scott dodged repeated questions about who he intended to endorse ahead of the crucial Florida primary.
Scott praised Trump in January, comparing the brash businessman's campaign to his own outsider gubernatorial campaign in 2010.
"There is no doubt that Donald is a man who speaks and tweets his mind freely," Scott
wrote in a USA Today op-ed. "But I don’t think his ability to give the most interesting interviews or speeches is the only thing that has him leading in the polls. I think he is capturing the frustration of many Americans."
Scott is the third governor to endorse Trump. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Maine Gov. Paul LePage both announced their support for the reality television star in the days following his impressive victory in South Carolina.
