McCollum, the state attorney general, even got a political celebrity - former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee - to go with him to a Baptist church in Jacksonville. Opponent Rick Scott, accompanied by family members, dropped in on both morning services at Minsterio Internacional El Ray Jesus in Miami, one of the nation's largest Hispanic churches.
The bitter rivals also planned stops in southwest Florida on Sunday with polls showing that many voters are still making up their minds.
After church in Jacksonville, McCollum showed up at Duval County Republican headquarters with Huckabee, the latest high-profile figure to endorse his candidacy. Former presidential candidates Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney also have bestowed their political blessings.
Underscoring McCollum's wide support among the state's Republican establishment, his entourage also included state Republican Party chairman John Thrasher, incoming Senate president Mike Haridopolos and attorney general candidate Holly Benson.
Huckabee, who moved to Florida earlier this year, contrasted McCollum's long record of public service with Scott's lack of one.
"He's got the perfect balance of experience and a long record of integrity," Huckabee said. "His ability to know the issues from both the federal and the state side are critical, because the real battle for state budgets is going to be the relationship between states and the federal government. ... You need someone who on day one walks in and sits down at that desk and gets the state moving."
In Miami, Scott addressed the large congregation of Minsterio Internacional El Ray Jesus from the stage, his words translated into Spanish. He got applause when he talked about his strong Christian faith and how he went from being raised in a struggling family to running a major corporation.
He took a shot at McCollum, accusing his opponent of being "disrespectful" by misrepresenting his stance on the tough new Arizona immigration law when he spoke to the congregation recently. Scott has accused McCollum of flip-flopping on whether such a tough measure is necessary in Florida. McCollum first said such a law wasn't needed, then ended up proposing legislation he says is even tougher than Arizona's.
"I will always be respectful to the diversity of this state and country," Scott told the congregation. "I will always make sure I have leadership from this community involved in anything I do as governor."
The themes of the final weekend have been familiar to anyone who's seen the candidates' avalanche of TV commercials - McCollum reminding voters at every turn that Scott was once CEO of Columbia/HCA, a hospital corporation that paid a record $1.7 billion to settle criminal charges of Medicare fraud. And Scott, a political newcomer, painting McCollum as desperate career politician beholden to the myriad special interests that have given millions to his campaign.
Tuesday's election will culminate a bitter four-month contest that saw record spending for a state primary campaign - mostly by Scott, who has written checks for more than $30 million to blanket the state's TV airwaves with his commercials.
McCollum, a 66-year-old former congressman and twice unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. Senate, was the presumptive nominee until Scott jumped into the race in April. Scott, 57, already popular in tea party circles for his high-profile opposition to President Barack Obama's health care plan, blasted out TV commercials introducing himself as a "conservative outsider."
After trailing in some polls by double-digits less than a month ago, McCollum overtook Scott in a Quinnipiac University poll last week. That survey showed he was favored by 44 percent to 35 percent out of 807 likely Republican voters. But nearly a fifth of participants said they hadn't yet decided on a candidate and roughly a third said they might still change their mind.
The primary winner will face presumptive Democratic nominee Alex Sink and independent candidate Lawton "Bud" Chiles III.
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Associated Press writer Jennifer Kay in Miami contributed to this report.
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Online:
McCollum campaign: http://billmccollum.com/
Scott campaign: http://www.rickscottforflorida.com/
What Is ‘Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World’ All About?McCollum says he’ll use taxpayer funds to compete with Scott
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