Poll: Large majority says loser should accept election results

More than two-thirds of voters say the loser of the presidential race should accept the election results in November, according to a new Politico/Morning Consult survey released Friday.

{mosads}The poll found that 68 percent of voters believe the loser should accept the results, while 14 percent say that he or she should challenge them.

At the third and final presidential debate Wednesday, Donald Trump declined to say he will accept the election results, claiming the election is “rigged” against him and repeatedly raising the specter of voter fraud.

The GOP presidential nominee took it a step further Thursday, saying: “I will totally accept the result of this great and historic presidential election — if I win.”

But 53 percent of self-identified Tea Party supporters and 56 percent of self-identified conservatives say the loser should accept the results of the election.

And only a quarter of Trump supporters say the losing candidate should challenge the result.

“With November 8 drawing near and the ‘rigged election’ rhetoric reaching a fever pitch, it will be important to watch Donald Trump’s supporters react when the final results roll in,” said Kyle Dropp, the co-founder and chief research officer at Morning Consult.

The poll found Democrat Hillary Clinton leading Trump in a two-way race, 46 to 40 percent. 

The Politico/Morning Consult poll surveyed a pool of 1,598 registered voters and 1,395 likely voters between Oct. 19 and 20. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.