In between today’s 2 ONE panels at the RNCC, Gov. Huckabee spoke about his experience with ONE on the campaign trail and his time traveling on a bipartisan delegation to Rwanda with ONE earlier this summer.

(As I said previously, I didn’t have a tripod of any kind, so if shaky camera movement gives you a headache, you may just want to listen to the footage for now until we have the professional video done and up in the next few days.)

First, Gov. Huckabee talks about ONE:

Next, Gov. Huckabee introduces this clip, a video made especially for the RNCC about Senator Frist, Michael Gerson and Gov. Huckabee in Rwanda:

And then back to the governor:

Senators Daschle and Frist, Mike Huckabee, John Podesta, John Kasich, Susan McCue, David Lane and Cindy McCain attended the Saint John the Baptist Cathedral in Rwanda yesterday during their ongoing trip to see life-saving U.S. aid at work.

Below, a short video clip from Mike Huckabee talking about the role of faith in the fight against global poverty.

Later this month, the ONE Campaign is set to reach out to senior advisors and key political voices from the Democratic and Republican parties as we continue to make the case that aid works, that American leadership can help a generation of people break the brutal cycle of extreme poverty. To drive that point home, we’re headed to Rwanda with an impressive roster of folks. We’re fortunate to have people who understand what’s at stake, both in terms of the lives which are on the line from poverty and preventable disease, and in terms of the benefit for America’s renewed leadership role in the world through expanded investment and assistance in these terribly poor countries.

The trip will be led by former U.S. Senate Majority Leaders Tom Daschle and Bill Frist – the two men who, for the past year, have co-chaired our ONE Vote ’08 effort. They’ll be joined by people like John Podesta (who was Chief of Staff to President Clinton and heads the Center for American Progress), Mike Huckabee (former Governor of Arkansas who expressed support for the ONE platform when he was running for the GOP nomination), and John Kasich (former member of the House of Representatives who worked as House Budget Committee Chairman). Cindy McCain will join the bipartisan trip as well. Mrs. McCain has a solid history of work in the fight against extreme poverty and preventable global disease. She’s served on the Board of Directors to ONE-partner CARE International since 2005. She founded the American Voluntary Medical Team in 1988, organizing trips for medical personnel to provide emergency care to disaster-struck or war-torn regions. She also serves on the boards for the non-profits Operation Smile and the HALO Trust.

The American people have made an incredible difference in the lives of millions of people struggling to survive extreme, brutal poverty. Our next president has the opportunity to finish the job – to finally erase preventable diseases from the planet and eliminate the kind of suffocating poverty which claims thousands of lives a day. We know the way, but we need our next president to show the will. That’s why we’re bringing this group of people to Rwanda. Each of them is in a unique position to help shape the policies and priorities of the man who could be our next president, and we want the fight against extreme poverty and preventable diseases to be front and center.

In Rwanda, we’ll visit places where PEPFAR is providing funds to save lives at risk from HIV/AIDS. We’ll stop at a school to hear from the students about the importance of their education to break free from extreme poverty. We’ll hear from farmers about their efforts to grow more crops and address the food crisis by growing their way out of it. All told, it will be an eye-opening trip, and one that we hope pays off with stronger policy commitments to the issues we care so much about – ending poverty and disease — from the two leading presidential candidates.

We’ll send updates from the trip and let you know how things are going.

-David Lane

It is a hot one here in New Hampshire today as political leaders travel to the NH Sec. of State’s Office to file papers to run for political seats, very similar to what all of the presidential candidates did last year – except there is no snow today.

I went to catch up with former candidate, Gov. Mike Huckabee, but when I arrived in Concord, I ran into NH Senator John E. Sununu. He recognized me and my ONE pin and I was able to thank him for his leadership in the Senate in funding Millennium Challenge Account and his support for the global AIDS bill known as PEPFAR, which is still waiting to be passed in the Senate. He thanked me and all ONE member for the work that we are doing to promote life saving US efforts in Africa.

I then met Gov. Huckabee outside of the State House. He too was excited about ONE and we talked about his tape for On The Record as well as the importance of passing PEPFAR. We discussed how fighting AIDS and poverty in Africa is not an issue that divides Republicans or Democrats, but rather unites Americans in our common humanity.

And as I got ready to leave, I ran into NH Rep. Carol Shea-Porter. She too was very aware of ONE and when I thanked her for voting for PEPFAR’s historic bi-partisan passage in the House, she told me how proud she was to vote for it and went on to talk with me about the recent vote for new funds to fight the world hunger crisis.

The 2008 NH Primary is over, but ONE’s impression and influence goes on as we make sure that our leaders are doing all that is possible to fight AIDS, malaria, and hunger and help save lives in the most desperate countries on Earth.

-Matthew Bartlett

In the week leading up to this past Tuesday’s Texas primary, ONE members in Waco realized they had a unique opportunity to help in the fight against extreme poverty and the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

More than 30 volunteers came out throughout the week attending events for Governor Huckabee, and Senators Clinton and McCain. Armed with ONE T-shirts, homemade signs, and their passion for ONE’s issues – volunteers and made sure that the candidates from both parties knew that Texans want our next president to be a leader in fighting for the world’s poorest people.

On Thursday, February 28th volunteers attended the Mike Huckabee rally in Waco, Texas, where they were able to meet the governor. After talking to the candidate about fighting poverty around the world, the volunteers were also excited that they were able to meet Huckabee supporter Chuck Norris at the rally.

The next day more ONE volunteers came out for Senator Clinton’s rally where they had seats right in front so that the senator could see them with their ONE shirts and poverty-fighting signs.

Then on Monday, March 3rd, Senator McCain was in Waco for a town hall and again, ONE was there! Justin Kralemann, president of the Baylor University ONE Student group, attended and sent me this note:

We just got in from the McCain Town Hall, during his speech, the senator asked everyone in the meeting to look at me and my fellow ONE members who were present. He talked about ONE and how young Americans are working together for a great cause. All of the cameras turned to us in our ONE tee-shirts. When he opened it up for questions, he asked me to take 60 seconds to tell everyone what ONE was. I then thanked him on behalf of over 100,000 ONE members in Texas for going “On the Record” and if elected, to visit Africa in his first term.

Thanks to all the volunteers in Waco who came out to support ONE and the world’s poorest people. For the ONE supporters out there in Wyoming, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania, as your primaries near, keep an eye out for candidates coming to your city, because we also need you to hit the campaign trail as ONE!

-Kim Smith

The 100,000 “Visit Africa” petitions have been delivered and we’ve heard back from the candidates.

After you check out the candidates’ responses, take a few minutes and write a letter to the editor of your local paper. Writing a letter to the editor is your chance to talk about the poverty-fighting successes highlighted on the recent presidential trip to Africa – successes ONE members have helped make possible – and our campaign urging the next president to visit Africa in his or her first term.

-Aaron Banks

On the campaign trail here in Florida we caught up with Governors Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. We saw Mitt in downtown Orlando on a stop along the trail. After his speech we approached the governor and commended him for talking about his plans to combat global poverty.

After the meeting with Governor Romney we caught word that Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee was having an impromptu press conference at the airport. ONE members were able to chat with the governor and thanked him for his support. Gov. Huckabee was nice enough to take a photo with us before jumping in an SUV and heading off to his next stop. Ready, set, all GOP eyes on Florida!

-Wes Peterson

On Tuesday I was in Lexington, SC with Gov. Mike Huckabee to watch the results of the Michigan Primary come in.

Gov. Huckabee gave a short stump speech and I was there with a few other ONE members to make sure that he remembered the poorest of the poor while campaigning in the first-in-the-south SC Primary.

Just as the Gov. was walking out the door, I got a few seconds to talk with him and thanked him for his strong endorsement of PEPFAR and slipped him a ONE band.

There were many people packed into the small restaurant, but I know that Gov. Huckabee will come across many more ONE members hitting the trail in South Carolina and across the nation to make sure that our next president knows that saving lives in Africa is a priority!

-Matthew Bartlett

Gov. Huckabee just popped into a voting site here in Manchester, NH, and ONE member Melissa Skinner was able to talk with him about her recent mission work in Africa and thank him for his strong endorsement of PEPFAR. She gave him a ONE band that he immediatly put on.

When I met Gov. for the first time back in February and I told him how I gave him a ONE band and told him about ONE. At the time, he looked at me and the ONE band with some skeptiscism, but then he asked if Pastor Rick Warren was involved with ONE. I had said yes and Gov. Huckabee told me to count him in.

Tonight Gov. Huckabee said that he remembered that moment and I was able to thank him for his ideas and for taping his plans for our On The Record microsite.

The polls are about to close in NH and ONE has been everywhere in the Granite State to make sure that all the candidaes know that saving lives around the world is a priority!

-Matthew Bartlett, ONE Regional Organizer

Quick Email from Matt in NH:

Group of 5 ONE members ran into Rudy at lunch. We made CNN footage too!

Meighan and Melissa are off to see Huck at a polling station.

Much more to come…

MRB