Pa. Republicans react to Donald Trump’s declaration that he would “keep you in suspense” on accepting election outcomes.

That giant clunking sound you heard during the presidential debate Wednesday night? It may have been the heads of Pennsylvania Republicans striking their desks when Donald Trump said he would “keep you in suspense” about whether he would accept the outcome of the Nov. 8 election.

While Mr. Trump has become increasingly strident about concerns that the election would be “rigged,” his statement Wednesday night was widely seen as a major break with a two-centurylong tradition of respecting election results. On Thursday, President Barack Obama said Mr. Trump’s rhetoric “undermines our democracy.” Some Republicans also criticized the remarks.

Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, whose re-election bid has been dogged by questions about whether he supports Mr. Trump, offered his criticism pre-emptively. During a debate Monday with Democratic rival Katie McGinty, Mr. Toomey said, “Our elections may not always be completely perfect, but they are legitimate, they have integrity and everyone needs to respect the outcome . ... [T]hat’s going to be necessary to pull us all together on Nov. 9.”

Other Pennsylvania Republicans offered more guarded reactions Thursday.

U.S. Rep Keith Rothfus, RSewickley, issued a post-debate statement saying the forum “showcased the out of touch, out of control liberal policies of Hillary Clinton.” But it didn’t mention Mr. Trump by name, or his election remarks. In a follow-up statement, his campaign said Mr. Rothfus “believes we can trust the election results and … will respect the will of the voters.”

The office of U.S. Rep Mike Kelly, R-Butler, said he would “accept the legitimately determined results of the election” while asserting he took “the threat of voter fraud very seriously.”

“America’s faith in the democratic process is more durable than any candidate’s campaign rhetoric,” it added.

Campaign staff for U.S. Reps. Bill Shuster, R-Bedford, and Tim Murphy, RUpper St. Clair, did not respond to calls for comment.

The GOP’s candidate for attorney general, Montgomery County state Sen. John Rafferty, issued a statement saying, “I trust our electoral process and I believe everyone should respect the will of the voters on Election Day.”

Even the campaign of state treasurer candidate Otto Voit, who prided himself as the first statewide candidate to endorse Mr. Trump, reacted somewhat warily to Mr. Trump’s remarks.

While “there have obviously been some pockets of voter fraud and intimidation,” said Voit spokesman Jack Gombach, “we believe in the process and we’re going to honor the results.”