On Friday, I went to a Chamber of Commerce Lunch, with some ONE members, to see Gov. Mike Huckabee.

There was a lot of press at this event, and ONE’s Marine, Michael Castaldo was able to talk with and band CNN anchor Anderson Cooper right before Gov. Huckabee gave a short speech.

After the event, ONE members Michael and Kevin tried to make their way to speak with Gov. Huckabee about ONE and the world’s poorest people, but the press crowd was too big. But right as Gov. Huckabee exited the room, Michael and Kevin were able to briefly engage with him. Michael told him that both Republicans and Democrats were coming together to fight global AIDS, and as soon as Gov. Huckabee saw Michael’s shirt, he told him that our issues are bigger than just Republicans and Democrats and that fighting global AIDS transcends politics and speaks to our humanity.

They were both able to thank him for his endorsement of PEPFAR as he made his way out the door. We would have had the entire engagement on tape, but someone forgot to hit the “record” button! I snapped a quick photo and I am sure that Gov. Huckabee ran into a few more ONE members urging him to become a leader in the fight against global disease and extreme poverty throughout his trip through NH.

-Matthew Bartlett, ONE Regional Organizer