Only 46 percent in new poll say candidates should commit to accepting midterm election results

Fewer than half of Americans believe that political candidates should commit to accepting the results of their midterm election races, according to a new Yahoo News-YouGov survey.

The poll, published on Thursday, found that 46 percent of respondents believe that political candidates should accept election results. 

Nineteen percent of those surveyed disagreed, saying candidates should not commit to accepting midterm election results. 

The survey comes after unprecedented attacks on the results of the 2020 presidential election led by former President Trump.

A mob of Trump’s supporters, some of them chanting for the hanging of then-Vice President Mike Pence, invaded the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to interrupt the certification of the Electoral College results of the 2020 election.

The new poll suggests doubts about the validity of elections and a refusal to accept results is becoming more commonplace.

Democrats were more likely to say that candidates should accept the results of the midterms.

Sixty-four percent of Democratic respondents indicated that political candidates should accept the results in their midterm election races.

But only 36 percent of Republican respondents said candidates should accept the results of the midterms.

When asked the same question, just 45 percent of independent respondents said political candidates should accept midterm election results. 

Forty-eight percent of white respondents said that political candidates should accept the results of their midterm election results, with 43 percent of Black respondents and 42 percent of Hispanic respondents agreeing with the same sentiment.