Axelrod pledges to shave ‘stache if Scarborough helps him raise $1M for charity

Before the election, David Axelrod, the senior adviser to President Barack Obama's re-election campaign, agreed to shave off his signature mustache if his candidate lost Michigan, Minnesota or Pennsylvania—and for "Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough to grow one if Obama won Florida.

While the president is currently leading, they're still counting ballots in Florida. So on Wednesday's "Morning Joe," Axelrod agreed to release Scarborough—a former Republican congressman from the Sunshine State—from his end of the bet if the MSNBC host helped him raise money for epilepsy research.

But not before mocking him. "Are you fired up and ready to grow?" Axelrod asked Scarborough, a nod to a story in one of the president's stump speeches.

Scarborough donated $10,000 to Axelrod's Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE), and Axelrod again pledged to shave off his 'stache, which he's had for more than 40 years, if an online fundraising drive led by Scarborough hits $1 million.

Scarborough's redirecting website—slashthestache.com—has received more than $40,000 in pledged donations.

Axelrod's daughter, Lauren, was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was just 7 months old. Axelrod and his wife, Susan, co-founded CURE in 1998, raising more than $20 million for research since its inception.