The North Carolina Republican Party on Thursday panned Donald Trump Donald John TrumpOmar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Pelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare Trump mocks Biden appearance, mask use ahead of first debate MORE's refusal to say he would accept the results of the presidential election.

"We at the North Carolina Republican Party are not aware of election results being optional," Dallas Woodhouse, executive director of the North Carolina GOP, said in a statement.

.@NCGOP statement on Donald Trump's debate comments about accepting election results #ncpol pic.twitter.com/u29tIWTQrp — Colin Campbell (@RaleighReporter) October 20, 2016

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Trump has received backlash for saying during the final 2016 presidential debate, held Wednesday night in Las Vegas, that he would keep voters "in suspense" about whether he would accept the result of the Nov. 8 election.

"I don’t know who’s going to win the presidential election. I do know that in every previous election, the loser congratulates the winner and calls them 'my president,' " Sen. John McCain John Sidney McCainCindy McCain endorses Biden: He's only candidate 'who stands up for our values' Biden says Cindy McCain will endorse him Biden's six best bets in 2016 Trump states MORE (R-Ariz.), the 2008 GOP presidential nominee, said in a statement Thursday.

Trump said during a rally in Delaware, Ohio, on Thursday that he would welcome the result of the election if he's the victor.

"I will totally accept the result of this great and historic presidential election — if I win," Trump said.



"I would accept a clear election result but I would also reserve my right to contest or file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result," he said.