NAACP holds post-election news conference, urges emergency Medicaid meeting

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Rev. Dr. William Barber and other NAACP officials held a news conference in Wilmington this morning, urging Governor Pat McCrory and Senator-elect Thom Tillis to meet about Medicaid expansion.

The event, held at the Central Church of Christ on Kerr Avenue, touched on other topics from the election and the election results as well. On the subject of the future of Medicaid, Dr. Barber said they have been asking for a meeting about the topic for two years, and he hopes Tillis’ interest in expanding Medicaid was not just a campaign strategy. Dr. Barber said even with the record voter turnout, he still believes voter suppression resulted in some of the outcomes.

“We know of places where the lines, I personally was at one place where the lines were two and a half hours long after the election hours were over on election day,” Dr. Barber said.

Dr. Barber said Tillis only won by 1.7% of the vote, so the win shouldn’t be considered a mandate for the Republican party.

“Mr. Tillis should view, and his party and those who have been extremists view, their narrow win not as a mandate. Now that is what the governor has even said. Not just me. The governor has even said that this is not a mandate. What he should do is abandon this regressive agenda that has attacked education, attacked health care, attacked environment, attacked labor rights, women’s rights, LGBT rights and immigrant and decide as a senator to govern for all of the people,” Dr. Barber said.

Local NAACP member Hannah Vaughan said she believes election results were not caused by voter suppression, but rather the number of Early Voting days and other issues.

“We ran away from some of our strengths. We weren’t able to articulate what had been accomplished, what were the advantages of the Affordable Care Act that had been passed under President Obama,” Vaughan said.