DES MOINES, IOWA – Nearly 1,000 Iowans will caucus for ONE today, concentrating caucus goers’ attention on issues of extreme poverty and global disease as the first votes of the 2008 presidential election are cast. Delegates will also work to include these vital issues in the platforms of both the Democratic and Republican parties.

ONE President and CEO David Lane will join the ONE caucus goers today to assist their efforts and thank them for their tireless hard work and dedication on behalf of the world’s poorest people. ONE members around the state are also attending candidate events today to highlight the importance of these issues as candidates make their last pitches to voters.

“Everywhere a presidential candidate ventured in Iowa, ONE members were there, making their voices heard.  The candidates have taken notice, and responded with concrete plans to save the lives of the world’s most vulnerable people – those living in extreme, brutal poverty,” Lane said.

These efforts are the culmination of an aggressive grassroots campaign by ONE’s members, which have resulted in more than 800 personal touches with the presidential candidates since June, as they have crisscrossed Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.  Presidential candidates have encountered some of Iowa’s more than 20,000 ONE members at every town hall meeting, rally and diner stop along the campaign trail in the state.

In early December, ONE launched a $1.8 million non-partisan television ad campaign that highlights the political force of the organization’s 2.4 million members in making extreme poverty and global disease central issues in the upcoming 2008 presidential election. The ad demonstrates ONE members’ power to ultimately save the lives of millions of the world’s poorest people by forcing candidates to focus on these critical issues. The ad aired in Iowa and New Hampshire and on national network cable. It is the largest buy of any independent group this election to date. The ad is here: http://www.onevote08.org/ontherecord/heal/

In mid-November, the demands of tens of thousands of voters across the country were handed directly to the presidential candidates on the campaign trail in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, challenging them to go “On the Record” with their plans to fight extreme poverty and global disease. As part of ONE Vote ’08’s “On the Record” challenge, the candidates produced video statements and provided specific answers to questions on HIV/AIDS, malaria, infant morality, clean water and education in the world’s poorest countries.

On June 28, 2007, at a major event at the Iowa State Historical Society, Iowa ONE Vote ’08 Co-Chairs former Governor Terry Branstad and former Lt. Governor Sally Pederson launched Iowa ONE Vote ’08. ONE Vote is an unprecedented, high energy, non-partisan campaign to save lives and secure America’s future by energizing presidential candidates and ONE’s 20,000 Iowa members to make the fight against global extreme poverty a key foreign policy issue in the 2008 Iowa Republican and Democratic Caucuses.

ONE Vote ’08 is not endorsing or opposing any candidate, but is encouraging all presidential candidates to address these critical issues

ONE Vote ’08: Saving Lives, Securing Our Future does not endorse or oppose any candidate, but urges all presidential candidates to take a stand on these critical issues and present their plans to solve problems associated with global disease and extreme poverty. Co-chaired by former U.S. Senate Majority Leaders Bill Frist and Tom Daschle, ONE Vote’s advisory team includes former Senator Bob Kerrey, political strategists Jack Oliver, Steve Jarding and Dina Powell, former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta, presidential advisors Donna Brazile, Tucker Eskew and Mike McCurry, pollsters Geoff Garin and John McLaughlin, and leaders from the faith community, national security experts and many others.

On The Record is a project of ONE Action to educate voters about the presidential candidates’ plans on issues of importance to ONE Action’s members. Only 501(c)(3) activities are funded by The ONE Campaign.

ONE is a grassroots effort of more than 2.4 million Americans, rallying Americans and pressing our leaders to fight the emergency of extreme poverty and preventable global disease.  For more information, visit ONE.org.

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