Poll: 45 Percent of GOP Might Not Accept Election Results

18 percent said they would definitely not accept the outcome

Among Republican and Republican-leaning likely voters, 45 percent said they might not accept the election as legitimate if their candidate doesn't win, including 18 percent who said they would definitely not accept the outcome, according to the NBC News|SurveyMonkey Third Debate Reaction Poll conducted on Thursday, Oct. 20. A majority of Republicans—53 percent—said they would accept the results of the election if their candidate loses, NBC News reported.

Voters polled also said Hillary Clinton won the third and final debate of the 2016 Presidential Election cycle by a 9-point margin over Donald Trump. A 46 percent plurality said Clinton won the debate, while 37 percent said Trump won. Another 17 percent said that neither candidate won the debate. Clinton's final victory over the Republican nominee marks a decisive sweep of all three debates.

The debate was most notable for Trump's refusal to say he would accept the outcome of the election—with some GOP leaders joining a backlash.

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