Washington, D.C.-The ONE Campaign is launching a $1.75 million television ad campaign featuring Matt Damon, New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain in the lead up to the Democratic and Republican conventions. The ad campaign highlights the lifesaving impact America is having in the poorest parts of the world thanks to support from everyday Americans and political leaders from across the spectrum; it is part of a broader grassroots effort by ONE to ensure the fight against extreme poverty and disease is being addressed by the candidates and their campaigns.

ONE members have been effective advocates throughout this election cycle, encouraging both candidates to speak out and make commitments to tackle these vital global challenges. As part of ONE”s “On the Record Challenge,” both candidates provided substantial proposals on critical issues including AIDS, malaria, child and maternal health, access to clean water and education.

The 30-second commercial, dubbed “Voices,” will debut online today and can be viewed at www.ONE.org. It will begin running on television Sunday, August 24 during NBC’s “Meet the Press” and ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” as well as across a number of cable news and entertainment channels. The ad was created by The Martin Agency of Richmond, Virginia.

“The ONE Campaign isn’t about taking sides; it’s about taking action,” said Matt Damon. “America is saving millions of lives in the poorest parts of the world – I saw it myself in Zambia and Tanzania – but people don’t know about the impact our investments are having. 41 million kids in school, 3 million fewer kids dying from preventable diseases … these are amazing results. We need to build on these successes with whoever wins the presidency in November.”

“From Iowa all the way through South Dakota and Montana, Barack and I have met so many members of the ONE Campaign who are dedicated to ensuring this country plays a leadership role in fighting global poverty and disease” said Michelle Obama. “Barack believes that we all have both a security stake and a moral obligation to help those across the world most in need. It’s not only the right thing to do, but it’s the smart thing to do in building a stronger, safer and more just world for our children and our children’s children.”

“I recently traveled to Rwanda with the ONE Campaign for the first time since my visit there in 1994, at the height of the Rwandan genocide. I was pleased to see how simple, affordable U.S. investments are saving lives, helping transform communities and building goodwill toward America,” said Cindy McCain. “I am proud of the ONE Campaign for spreading this message and raising the profile of these vital issues in this election.”

The ad features actor and activist Matt Damon, who has twice traveled to Africa with ONE. In the spot Matt is on screen and speaking to camera the entire time, but for much of the ad his voice is replaced by voices representing everyday Americans from across the country, as well as Mayor Bloomberg, Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain. In the add Cindy McCain says “but there’s still more to do,” Mayor Bloomberg says “Democrats, Republicans, Independents,” and Michelle Obama says, “Who are coming to together as one.” (See full script of ad below).

“Saving lives and combating global poverty will not only be a humanitarian concern for our next president, but also a security and foreign policy imperative,” said New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg.  “By investing in basic medications, clean water systems, and malaria fighting nets, we can both save lives and strengthen our alliances around the world.  If we hope to thwart our enemies and spread the values that have made America great – freedom, opportunity, equality, and democracy – we must do even more to put our global power to good use where it is needed most.”

“Through this ad, we want to show the American people the lifesaving difference they are making in people’s lives around the world.  And we want to remind the presidential candidates that the public is out there and eager for them to say more about their plans to build on these successes,” said David Lane, President and CEO of the ONE Campaign.

Research indicates that Americans support global health and poverty programs to a greater degree when they know that those programs are delivering results. Unfortunately, too often Americans don’t hear about what is being achieved. The ONE Voices ad highlights the fact that over the past few years in the world’s poorest places, American assistance has helped ensure that: 41 million more children are going to school for the first time, 3 million people living with AIDS have access to life-saving medication and 3 million fewer children die each year from preventable diseases.

“We wanted an ad that cut through the political clutter to showcase these issues and the tireless efforts of the ONE Campaign in this election,” said veteran political strategist and ONE Vote ’08 advisor Carter Eskew. “As Americans, people should know the progress they are helping forge in the most desperately poor places on earth. And as voters, they should know that the next president will have a huge opportunity to move this progress forward, save millions of lives from poverty and disease, and make America more secure in the process.”

The ad brings attention to ONE Vote ’08, the ONE Campaign’s presidential outreach advocacy effort that combines ONE’s grassroots organization with an unprecedented team of nonpartisan political strategists, policy experts, security and military advisors, entertainers and influential faith leaders. Noticeable because of their ONE t-shirts and white wrist bands, ONE members have been a constant presence on the campaign trail, attending town hall meetings, speeches, rallies, and diner stops to talk to voters and the candidates themselves about the need for continued U.S. leadership in the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease. Following a petition drive signed on to by more than 100,000 ONE members, both candidates also said that, if elected, they will visit Africa during their first term.

The ONE Campaign is a global organization uniting millions of people to fight extreme poverty and preventable disease around the world. For more information on the ONE Campaign visit www.ONE.org.

ONE Vote ’08 is a project of the ONE Campaign and ONE Action. It is not endorsing or opposing any candidate, but is encouraging all presidential candidates to address these critical issues.

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ONE “VOICES” Script

MATT DAMON: Thanks to everyday Americans who chose to make a difference…

MATT DAMON (HIS VOICE NOW Voice #1):

…millions of lives have been saved in the world’s poorest countries…

MATT DAMON (NOW Voice #2):

41 million more children have been able to go school.

MATT DAMON (NOW Voice #3):

3 million more people living with AIDS…

MATT DAMON (NOW Voice #4):

…have access to lifesaving medication.

MATT DAMON (NOW Voice #5):

3 million fewer children die each year from preventable diseases…

MATT DAMON (NOW Cindy McCain):

But there’s still more to do.

MATT DAMON (NOW Voice #7):

In this election year,

MATT DAMON (NOW Voice #8):

…please join the millions of Americans from every party…

MATT DAMON (NOW Mayor Bloomberg):

…Democrats, Republicans, Independents….

MATT DAMON: (NOW Michelle Obama)

….who are coming together as ONE…

MATT DAMON: We welcome your voice. Thank you.