ONE Launches $1.8M Ad Campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire, Targeting Presidential Contenders

ONE Launches $1.8M Ad Campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire,
Targeting Presidential Contenders

New ad highlights force of ONE's 2.4M members and their power to impact issues in the '08 election

For Immediate Release:
Contact: Kimberly Cadena
kimberly.cadena@one.org
Phone: (202) 669-0802

December 13, 2007

DES MOINES, IOWA -ONE is launching 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 impacting the 2008 election. The 30-second commercial, which will begin airing in Iowa and New Hampshire and on national network cable this Saturday, is the largest buy of any independent group this election to date.

"ONE Vote '08 is engaging the American people, with tens of thousands of members in each of the primary states, and those members are engaging the candidates, who are now laying out their platforms and policies. As this ad gets more and more people interested, the issues of extreme poverty and global disease can become important issues for voters. Many people have been disenchanted in the past with their inability to influence politics. But with ONE Vote '08, they are making a difference and seeing it play out before their eyes. There is nothing else like it," said ONE Vote '08 co-chair and Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

"In all my years in politics, I've never seen anything quite like ONE Vote '08. I've never seen the degree of enthusiasm, the degree of commitment and the extraordinary response on the part of the presidential candidates to this type of grassroots effort," said ONE Vote '08 co-chair and Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle.

The spot, featuring ONE members and created by ONE Vote '08 media consultant and veteran creative force Fred Davis, calls on voters to urge all of the presidential contenders to present their plans to combat extreme poverty and global disease. (See below for link to view the ad and complete script.)

"With the ad, I had the great opportunity to introduce ONE to the world. I wanted an ad that cut through political clutter. But most of all I wanted to show that we already have 2.4 million members, and that number is growing every minute. I wanted the candidates and their staffs to see those members, see their power and make it clear that they need to listen," said ONE Vote '08 media consultant Fred Davis.

The ad comes as ONE is unveiling its new online initiative dubbed "On The Record," which allows voters to compare the poverty-fighting plans of major presidential candidates from both parties. For the first time, voters can view videos of the presidential candidates responding directly to issues such as extreme poverty, HIV/AIDS, hunger, universal education and preventable disease at the interactive "On The Record" website, ONEVote08.org/ontherecord. The website also features written responses from each candidate on these issues and provides voters with non-partisan, user-friendly web tools to compare and discuss the candidates' policies and positions. Links to news articles and blogs about the candidates' positions are also provided on the site.

"Just saying that a presidential candidate is against extreme poverty and global disease is not good enough. ONE members have successfully challenged the candidates to lay out their comprehensive plans and policies. For the first time, voters can compare the candidates side-by-side and decide for themselves who is serious about taking on these vital issues," ONE spokesperson Kimberly Cadena explained.

Throughout November, nearly 60,000 "On The Record" petitions were signed by voters across the country and handed directly to each of the major presidential contenders on the campaign trail by ONE members.

Since its launch in June 2007, ONE Vote '08 has organized tens of thousands of voters and ONE members across the early caucus and primary states of Iowa (20,000 members), New Hampshire (15,000 members), Nevada (17,000 members) and South Carolina (20,000 members), where they have been engaging directly with the candidates on the ground and their campaign teams about the fight against extreme poverty and global disease. ONE members are relentless advocates for the world's poor, breaking through in a crowded political process and making direct one-on-one contact with the candidates more than 800 times to date.

To amplify this grassroots firepower, ONE Vote '08 has signed a team of political strategists and policy experts, including national co-chairs and former Senate Majority Leaders Bill Frist and Senator Tom Daschle. ONE educates the candidates and their staffs about ONE's issues and encourages them to craft commonsense, effective initiatives to include in their foreign policy platforms. As a result of both the grassroots mobilization and policy-level interaction, presidential candidates are releasing plans that address ONE's core issues in an unprecedented fashion.

"For months now, ONE members have been in the early primary states, talking to the candidates face-to-face about what they will do to halt the spread of AIDS, eradicate malaria and increase access to clean water. Now ONE is hitting the airways with the largest ad buy of any independent group this year. Thanks to ONE members, the candidates are addressing these issues on the campaign trail more than in any previous election, and they are offering concrete plans. ONE members, amplified by this ad, will continue to press the candidates to lay out their plans to help the world's poorest people and make a more secure world. Whomever the next president is, he or she will know Americans want their leaders to do more to save lives and increase opportunity in the world's poorest, most vulnerable places," Cadena said.

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. The non-partisan effort brings together a broad range of talent. Co-chaired by former U.S. Senate Majority Leaders Bill Frist of Tennessee and Tom Daschle of South Dakota, ONE Vote's advisory team includes former Nebraska 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 an effort by Americans to rally Americans -- ONE by ONE -- to fight the emergency of extreme poverty and preventable global disease. ONE is a coalition of more than 2.4 million people and more than 150 of the nation's leading relief, humanitarian and advocacy organizations. For more information, visit ONE.org.

Link to view ad: http://www.onevote08.org/ontherecord/heal/

Script of ad: "Heal"
"One voice can make a difference.
But, one plus one plus one is impossible to ignore. Join us to plead as one ...
... to heal and bring hope to the world.
Ask each presidential candidate if they're on the record fighting global poverty and disease.
One voice, plus yours and millions of others ...
... they will hear. ONE.org."

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