ONE’s Libby Pederson is on fire. Below she delivers the “On The Record” petitions, with more than 53,000 signatures, to Senators Biden and Thompson in Iowa.

-Virginia Simmons

ONE member Libby Pederson outdid herself this weekend in Iowa, delivering “On the Record” campaign petitions from more than 50,000 ONE members to four of the presidential campaigns. The petitions ask the candidates to go on the record, in writing and on camera, to tell us exactly what they plan to do to end extreme poverty and global disease.

But we won’t hear back from them until they hear from us, and that’s what petition delivery is all about. Check it out below.

Here’s Libby Pederson delivering a petition to a Chris Dodd campaign staffer.

There she is again outside Joe Biden’s HQ.

And inside Mike Huckabee’s office.

What a trooper, once again, handing petitions to a staffer from the Barack Obama campaign.

-Aaron Banks

ONE members traveled to see Senator Joe Biden at a coffee shop in Iowa on Friday. After the senator delivered a speech, a couple ONE members and I had a chance to speak with him about ONE and debt relief.

Senator Biden pointed out that he took the lead on some of the first debt relief proposals in the Senate and continues to support debt relief to struggling countries. Before departing for his next stop he put on a band and posed for a quick picture.

-Wes Peterson, ONE Member, Iowa

Today was my first day with the ONE Campaign and Senator Biden’s press conference was definitely the highlight. The senator’s press conference took place in the rotunda at the State House. He talked about how most Americans have not decided who they would vote for yet and that he was definitely going to continue his bid for the White House.

He graciously took questions from the audience. After shaking a couple of hands, Mekell and I made our way through the crowd to talk to the senator. He happily took a picture with us wearing his ONE band. Senator Biden told us he had a meeting with Bono next week and how he has always been a supporter of ending debt relief in Africa, eradicating global hunger and his commitment to improving healthcare. Not bad for a first day!

-Bianca Crawford, SC ONE Vote ‘08

Top Democratic presidential hopefuls courted voters at the Tom Harkin Steak Fry Fundraiser and ONE Vote ‘08 was there. Michele, Sarah, and I were able to band and briefly chat with most of the candidates.

Senator John Edwards was happy to put on a band and pose for a photo. He even said “I love the ONE Campaign.” After fighting our way through a very enthusiastic crowd to get to Senator Hillary Clinton she very graciously posed for a photo before taking and band and thanking us for being there. Senator Joe Biden was very courteous in accepting a band, putting it on immediately, and wearing it the rest of the afternoon. After posing for a photo he told us how much he appreciates the campaign and talked about how he had great experience working with Bono years ago.

Governor Bill Richardson took time to come over to our booth and visit us on this busy day immediately getting a band and putting it on. He spoke of our cause to the crowd before heading to the stage.

The ONE message is getting louder and it is getting through.

-Wes Peterson and Michele Meyer, Iowa ONE Vote ‘08

Laugh if you must, but I feel pretty good about my first attempt at this new fandangled technology.

-Matt Higginson

An army of ONE volunteers hit the candidate debate viewing parties on Monday night in Charleston, SC, banding and speaking to the presidential hopefuls before and after the debate.

I spoke to Senators Clinton and Biden, and they thanked us for fighting for international AIDS and poverty relief. We also signed up new ONE members at the viewing parties, including people working for the various campaigns.

All of the ONE staff and volunteers worked hard for the Charleston debate. It was well worth it and we won’t be resting anytime soon, since the national College Democrats of America convention will be at the University of South Carolina from July 26-29. Several of the candidates will be rolling through Columbia for the convention and they will be seeing some familiar faces in ONE bands and shirts.

Thurdsay night, Democratic presidential candidates Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Christopher Dodd, John Edwards, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson participated in a live, televised forum at Howard University.

ONE volunteers seized this opportunity to send these presidential candidates a message when they arrived at the forum. Each volunteer got one sign that said one of the following words, “What will you do to end extreme poverty and AIDS?” We set up across from a sea of presidential candidate supporters and signs. We could tell that lots of people were intrigued by our unique message. Cars slowed down while they passed us on busy Georgia Avenue to see what we had to say! Our group traveled a few blocks down the sidewalk (in order!), shouting our message so other groups saw us, too. A few limos and town cars with dark tinted windows passed by us, so we can only speculate on who may have been inside!

An hour into our demonstration, our shouting was overpowered by a torrential storm, but that didn’t stop us until our signs were dripping ink and unintelligible!

This was just one of many times the candidates and their supporters will see ONE in the crowd urging both to make ending extreme poverty and AIDS a top priority in the 2008 elections.

By the way, a similar forum with the Republican candidates will occur in September at Morgan State University in Baltimore. Read more on the presidential forums here.