NAACP President Johnson discusses 2026 Midterm Election

Because it is our democracy, and we intend to use it. I am Abdul El-Sayed. I ask for your support tomorrow as your next United States Senator. Thank you so much. For the midterm elections, Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed working to refocus attention on turning out votes for Election Day. This, of course, one day after his former primary rival, Haley Stevens, announced that she was endorsing Republican Mike Rogers. And right now, Dr. El-Sayed is taking part in a get-out-the-vote rally. And with the election happening tomorrow, U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers also has spent the day on the road. He's holding a campaign rally this evening in Rochester Hills. All right, he's going to be joined by Representative Lisa McClain. Congressional candidate Mike Bouchard, gubernatorial candidate John James, Secretary of State Anthony Forlini, Attorney General candidate Doug Lloyd, Michigan Republican Party Chair Jim Runstad. All the Republicans there. All right, we're heading into the crucial election. We are joined now by Derek Johnson. He is the national president of the NAACP. First of all, good to see you. A native Detroiter, born in Detroit. That's correct. Westside. That's right. And you moved out. I didn't move out. I went to college and got married, and now I live in the South. So I love Detroit and always come back. And you come back quite a bit. I do. I do. We've been talking about, and I know, NAACP, they don't endorse candidates, but you watch elections closely throughout the whole country. Absolutely. Haley Stevens, going from a Democrat to a Republican, do you think that that has caused any confusion amongst black voters in I don't think it caused confusion, more frustration that she used a black church and a black community as her backdrop. That's something that should not be tolerated. And if anything, black voters should be outraged and upset for her trying to use us as a prop. But haven't Democratic candidates used black churches for... Many, many years. Let's be very clear. Political parties are vehicles for agendas. And for the African American communities, we embed our agenda inside of the vehicle that best suit us at the time. So that's why we're nonpartisan. But she cannot use us as her vehicle. So it's not about the party consideration, it is about what she's doing, and what she has done is try to create a pathway around an agenda that's anti-black. The price of bread, the cost of gas, the level of tolerance, the equal protection under the law, those are important to the black community. Why is the black community... And correct me if I'm wrong, but roughly they'll vote 80% Democrat. Do you think, number one, do you think that that's true? And that's the case this time around. And John James, for example, a black man, do you think that because of his skin color, he'll get votes in Detroit? Well, the real question is, what are the party platforms? And do the parties speak to the interests and needs of the black community? That's the real question. It's not about the label. It is the... The quality of life. Are we talking about providing quality public education for children? Are we talking about ensuring that people could be gainfully employed? Under this administration, over 600,000 black women have lost employment. Are we talking about ensuring equal protection under the law? The Justice Department is looking for evidence of what happened to Nolan Wells. This administration has been mute on that. So it's not the party affiliation, it's the agenda that the parties represent. Let me change gears just for a minute. Tomorrow, we know that there will be some federal marshals in and around a lot of voting precincts, many in Detroit. That's not totally unusual, but do you sense there's going to be any voter intimidation at all, maybe by Trump's administration? Well, under the Voting Rights Act, the use of monitors is... If there are any alleged or real vote suppression methods that will be taking place. We don't know why these monitors are coming into town. We are litigating a case today in court to determine what type of monitors. We're saying we don't want ICE agents at the polls. We're saying we don't want DOJ officials who are law enforcement agents at the polls. Because that's not the use of monitors under the Voting Rights Act. So our question that we're litigating in court is... Why are the monitors here, which precincts, and what evidence or concerns are they protected against? And if the court doesn't decide by tomorrow, what do you say to a Detroit voter who may have some intimidation about voting tomorrow? Well, do not leave the polling place until you vote. And if there's a question, local law enforcement is who you talk to. Because at the end of the day, our democracy is at stake, and you settle... There have been disputes in this country historically at the ballot box, but this administration is trying to prevent individuals to add their voices to public policy. Derrick Johnson, the president and CEO of the NAACP. Thank you, I appreciate that. That's it? That's it. You're done. That's it. Isn't that easy? You could have gone on for a while. Hey, let's go out to vote tomorrow. That is so important. Our nation, democracy depends on Southeast Michigan. We gotta go vote. And a big turnout tomorrow, right? Big turnout. There you go. Big turnout. Thank you. I appreciate it.