Florida's brutal and expensive race for governor is ending in the same way it began: Bitter, personal and close as ever.
What began months ago with a sustained wave of television ads was wrapping up in the final moments on Monday with the two main rivals for the job jockeying for every last possible vote.
Polls continued to show that the race between Republican Gov. Rick and Republican-turned-Democrat Charlie Crist remained essentially tied Scott and Crist crisscrossed the state on the final day before Election Day, confronted with reminders of the testy nature of the contest that has included more than $100 million worth of ads from the campaigns and their allies.
Scott started his day campaigning in Clearwater where his bus was met by a loud group of protesters chanting "too shady for the Sunshine State'' and "it's not working,'' a dig at Scott's election motto.
But inside a Greek restaurant with supporters, Scott ripped Crist as someone who "ran away'' after one term as governor when the state's economy soured and the state's unemployment rate soared.
"We're going to win because we have passion, because it's about families,'' said Scott, who added later that Crist "has never been worried about families, because he wouldn't have lost all those jobs.''
Crist, meanwhile, campaigned in South Florida ahead of an election eve rally with former President Bill Clinton. Outside a Miami union hall, Crist supporters crossed the street to drown out a contingent of Scott backers that included Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera.
"I've never been heckled by a lieutenant governor before, it's kind of weird,'' Crist said.
Crist made a couple of unscheduled stops in Broward County, including visits to a barbershop and a Jamaican restaurant. A confident Crist, who played quarterback while in high school, bounded off his bus at one point and started tossing a football with reporters.
"All we have to do tomorrow is break the plane,'' said Crist referring to how a touchdown is scored.
Alphia Stevenson, a 46-year-old child welfare worker who saw Crist at one of the Broward stops, said she had already voted for him.
"I liked him when he was a Republican. I knew he was a Democrat in disguise,'' Stevenson said. "Charlie Crist. He's the man. From Republican to independent and now he's on the real team-Democrat. He's going it going on either way.''
Scott's campaign stops on Monday also included a visit to a market in Plant City where he shared a strawberry shake with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and chatted with the owner and workers. Scott was also scheduled to make stops in The Villages and Orlando with both Jindal and Texas Gov. Rick Perry later in the day.
"We're going to have a big win because people are going to get out,'' Scott said. "There is a clear choice.''
More than 3 million Floridians have voted so far. In the 2010 election, which featured Scott and Democrat Alex Sink, nearly 5.45 million people cast ballots, although more than 81,000 voters did not cast a vote for governor.
There had been speculation that the negative tone of the campaign could dampen turnout. Most of the television ads have been negative. They reminded voters that Scott was forced out as head of a hospital chain that later paid a $1.7 billion fine for Medicare fraud, and that past donors and political allies of Crist went to jail for various corruption charges.