Tim Michels says he will accept Nov. election results after not fully committing

MILWAUKEE Wis. (CBS 58) -- Republican governor candidate Tim Michels said he'd "certainly" accept the results of the November election after not fully committing and embracing former President Donald Trump's falsehoods of widespread voter fraud.

Michels, who's endorsed by Trump, responded to CBS 58's question on Tuesday whether he'd accept the election results after days earlier declining to answer during a televised debate with his Democratic opponent Governor Tony Evers.

"I will accept the results of the November election. Certainty," Michels said after attending an event at the Rotary Club in Milwaukee.

After the event, I asked Michels if he would accept the results of the Nov. election and he said “certainly.” During the Gov. debate on Friday he declined to answer that question. https://t.co/yv54MWyOvu pic.twitter.com/lSY2PtKf6O

— Emilee Fannon (@Emilee_Fannon) October 18, 2022

On Friday, both Michels and Evers were asked if they'd accept the election results during their first and only debate. Evers replied "yes," while Michels didn't say. Instead, for the first time, Michels answered by committing to certifying the next presidential election after previously stating he wouldn't rule out decertifying the 2020 election, a move that is legally impossible.

In October, a campaign spokesperson for Michels told the Wisconsin State Journal he would accept the Nov. 8 results, "provided the election is conducted fairly and securely."

Shortly after securing Trump's endorsement ahead of the August primary, Michels told CBS 58 he was unsure whether the election was stolen from the former president. In a statement about Michels' endorsement, Trump praised him and said he would "end the well-documented fraud in our elections."

Since then, Michels has strictly focused his campaign around election integrity reforms, promising to sign election bills passed by Republicans and vetoed by Gov. Evers that would make a series of changes.

Michels has also called for dismantling the state elections commission after previously saying he was in favor of replacing the six members who serve on the bipartisan commission.

For months Trump pressured Republican lawmakers, including Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, to revoke Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes for Joe Biden.

Vos has said he told the president in a phone call there's no legal pathway for decertification. That phone call has caught the attention of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S Capitol. Vos was issued a subpoena seeking information about his call with Trump. Vos is seeking to block the subpoena and a hearing is set for Oct. 24.