AUSTIN, Texas — Former Republican president and Texas governor George W. Bush is congratulating President-elect Joe Biden on his win. The message served as a signal to Republicans who are still questioning the election results.

In a statement Bush said he's spoken with Biden and thanked him for the "patriotic message" he delivered in his acceptance speech. Bush says Biden earned the "votes of more than 70 million Americans" but noted that Trump had the right to request recounts and pursue legal challenges.

Several prominent Texas Republicans are still saying it's premature to call the election. Sen. Ted Cruz told Fox News Sunday night to let the legal process play out. Gov. Greg Abbott echoed that in a statement Monday saying “illegal votes” shouldn’t be counted and elections aren’t certified by the news media.

“Democracy depends upon fair and open elections. We all agree that every legal vote counts and that illegal votes do not. There are processes in place in each state to determine if any vote is legal, and we must respect those processes to ensure the integrity of our elections,” Abbott said.

Rep.-elect Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, also says it’s important that every legal vote is counted and in some cases recounted.

“I respect the fact we’re having recounts in some cases,” he said in an interview on Capital Tonight. “I just think it’s important we finalize the process, every legal vote is counted and that we respect our legal process if there’s any recounts. And once that is complete, we all circle behind and we all support our President.”

Gonzales will replace outgoing Republican Rep. Will Hurd, who’s been critical of Trump's undermining of the election.

Trump has not conceded, claiming the election was stolen and making unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud.