In my last post, I showed you some of the really cool things that can happen in a day in the life of a ONE Vote organizer. But sometimes, things don’t always go as planned. Such has been the case for my recent exploits down here in the Sunshine State in the build up to the primary. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to complain about being near the beach, but patience is definitely a virtue on the campaign trail.

Thursday, I made the two-hour trek down to Pensacola, Fla., from where I am staying with family in Panama City Beach. As soon as I arrived at what was to be an event with presidential candidate Sen. Rick Santorum, a torrential downpour made the event soggy and unpleasant for someone who forgot their umbrella. But luckily, I had a cool ONE hoodie nearby (shameless ONE Store plug, check them out). To my dismay, the crowd gathered was told that Senator Santorum couldn’t land due to the severe weather threat, and thus I trudged back to my car for what was not looking like a fun ride back. But when life gives you severe weather that makes road conditions hazardous, get FroYo until the storm passes!

Then on Saturday, the big Governor Mitt Romney rally was right here in Panama City, so I made my way out on what was a beautiful, sunny and warm day (I know everyone experiencing real winter is yelling through their computer screens at me).

I came so close to getting a chance to speak with Gov. Romney, edging my way in through the crowds to get to the rope line (which has become an art form after all of these months) — but due to patterns of candidate hand-shaking dynamics (that’s the scientific name, right?) I missed out on speaking to the Governor. I still haven’t mastered the mathematics of when a candidate will move to the other side of the rope line, but I think the variable cute baby was the determining factor of this miss.

It all works out in the end though, because yesterday, I made my way to Speaker Newt Gingrich’s event in Pensacola. Using my crowd-dodging skills, I once again made my way into the path of the Speaker and had a chance to talk to him about ONE and smart investments that save lives and promote American security, the latter being something he had touched on in his remarks, to which I received a nice thumbs up. Awesome!

Being an advocate for the world’s poorest can present challenges, and some days are rainier than others, but the ultimate reward comes when you know your voice was heard!

10. You never know what candidate events will bring. In South Carolina, we sent two ONE members to the Lowcountry Sportsmen Barbecue for Newt Gingrich. We didn’t know what a “lowcountry sportsman” was, but we took a leap of faith and sent Kate and Adrienne out to talk with Speaker Gingrich about extreme poverty-fighting. And it was well worth it, as the ladies had an opportunity to speak with Gingrich directly.

9. Having a little fun along the way. We decided to attend comedian Stephen Colbert-Herman Cain rally. There were thousands of folks in attendance and Stephen Colbert’s grand entrance involved a two marching bands and a full chorus singing “This Little Light of Mine.”

8. Is it socially acceptable for adults to wear matching outfits? Well, when you’re on the ONE Campaign trail it is! For three days, our team traveled in packs, all wearing the same ONE Logo T-shirts.

7. You never know who you will meet on the campaign trail! Jim Duggar, the father of TLC’s show, “19 Kids and Counting” came to South Carolina for Rick Santorum. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty who was out stumping for Mitt Romney. And at a Newt Gingrich event I had the fortune to meet Colonel Michael Steele, Company Commander of the US Army Ranger company portrayed in the book and film Black Hawk Down.

6. Debate-a-palooza! We headed to the CNN Debate in Charleston on Thursday the 19th to see what this installment would bring. I was able to talk to Donna Brazzille about ONE as she put on a white ONE band, and after the debate, ONE supporters ran into Representative Tim Scott at McDonald’s and were able to talk to the congressman about the fight against extreme poverty while he waited for his order!

5. Lending a helping hand (and umbrella)! While life on the campaign trail is busy and hectic, Election Day is a bit slower because there are not as many events and activities. So, we decided to give out coffee to voters as they headed to the polls. At a precinct in Chapin, it started pouring down rain — so, in addition to giving out coffee, we had some extra umbrellas so we were providing some cover for folks as they walked from their cars to the voting station. It made it on the cover of the Washington Post!

4. Sleep Deprivation: Well it turns out there is no makeup in the world that can cover a 4 a.m. wake up call, And three days of 4 a.m. wake up calls make you downright maniacal! Life on the ONE trail starts early, but at least you don’t have to spend a lot of time figuring out what to wear since you wear your ONE T-shirt every day!

3. Halloween in January? You wouldn’t believe the number of grown adults that wear costumes and make very interesting clothing choices out on the campaign trail. I’ve seen pigs dancing in convertibles, what I can only describe as a homemade Mr. America costume, and fake Sarah Palin.

2. Amazing Southern food: Well the cuisine of South Carolina speaks directly to my Kentucky heart! Don’t judge me for having shrimp and grits three times in three days.

1. Watching volunteers get a chance to support ONE with their members of Congress, the media and be on TV all at the same time! The cast of “Morning Joe” were filming live from Charleston in the days leading up to the primary. Latwyla, a ONE volunteer from Columbia, was able to meet the cast of Morning Joe and talk about ONE with the Representative Jim Clyburn.

We’ve kicked off the First in the South primary season here in South Carolina. With warm 70 degree January weather, the campaigns are shedding their New Hampshire coats and really heating up the campaign trail.

Down in the Lowcountry, I was able to engage Governors Jon Huntsman and Rick Perry and Senator Rick Santorum on supporting development programs that help end diseases and get clean water systems to those who desperately need it.

Governor Huntsman was excited to talk with me about the economic importance to helping end diseases like malaria and polio. He understands the importance to help the world’s poor so they can flourish and become consumers of American products.

Governor Perry was excited and gave me a big Texas greeting as he loves seeing the “ONEsters.” He said he loved how ONE has engaged him in Iowa (s/o to ONE Vote organizers Libby, Amanda and Lauren), and here in South Carolina he vowed to fight for vaccines for children.

Senator Santorum held a town hall late Thursday evening, and an audience member asked him about continued funding to fight AIDS through PEPFAR and finding a cure. Santorum responded “I will look at everything in my executive power to be pro-life for everyone in the world” who needs help from disease. After the event, when I spoke to Santorum he exclaimed to me, “I heard about the end of polio in India, how great!”

The candidates are still criss-crossing the state to BBQ joints and meat-and-threes, but we have great advocates in most of the candidates here in First in the South. We will keep y’all posted as we try to keep up!

Take a look at his full statement here:

“There is reason to celebrate today that over 4 million people with AIDS in Africa are on antiviral drugs as a result of the US commitments through PEPFAR and other partnerships. There is reason to set our resolve, as almost 5,000 people die every day due to AIDS and there are about 7,000 new HIV infections a day. Thankfully, there is reason to hope that in our lifetime, we may see the end of AIDS. Let’s turn our
resolve into action.”

The GOP presidential candidates debated foreign policy again last night, this time against the backdrop of the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, DC. We were pleased to see some of ONE’s issues addressed, with a question about continuing funding of development assistance.

Sen. Rick Santorum stressed the moral and strategic importance of programs such as PEPFAR and the Global Fund, saying “It’s important for us to use all the assets we have. Promote our values. America is that shining city on the hill. It is — it is the city that comes to the aid of those in trouble in America — in the world. We have done more good for America in Africa and in the third world by the things that we’ve done. And we have saved money and saved military deployments by wisely spending that money not on our enemies but on folks who can and will be our friends.”

We applaud Sen. Santorum for standing up for the millions of people around the world who rely on development assistance to lead healthy lives.

We were also pleased to hear Mr. Herman Cain emphasize the importance of supporting programs that deliver results. Our key priorities like PEPFAR, the Global Fund and Feed the Future have clear measurable goals and outcomes which is what is important to US taxpayers and to those people we are trying to help with lifesaving assistance.

We hope to hear the other candidates speak out about the importance of aid and the strategic value it provides to US security.

To read more about ONE Vote’s 2012 presence at the debate — including our interactions with the candidates themselves — click here.

The candidates arrive to DAR in motorcades

Waiting in the rain

During the debate, the ONE Vote team, including Sarah Huckabee Sanders, ONE US Executive Director Sheila Nix and ONE members across the country live-tweeted the event. Everyone was so excited that Rick Santorum defended PEPFAR and aid to Africa. You can read our conversation here.

If you get the chance, volunteer with ONE Vote to introduce the candidates to ONE and make sure they all know that American leadership has saved millions of lives in the developing world, all for less than 1 percent of the US budget. Thanks to everyone who came out to make sure extreme poverty and preventable disease stays on the radar of the candidates!

What could be more fun than hitting up a parade on Labor Day with an awesome group of ONE volunteers? I had the privilege of organizing a group of seven ONE members who spent the day at the Labor Day Festival in Chapin, South Carolina. We were all decked out in our ONE gear and were definitely turning heads as we walked in our pack around Chapin.

We were lucky to meet up with both Rep. Joe Wilson and Senator Lindsey Graham in the parade staging area. Both were nice enough to speak with us about ONE’s issues and get a quick picture with our group. They also gave us shout outs when they spotted us on the street as they passed during the parade.

Later we spotted 2012 presidential candidate, Former Sen. Rick Santorum as he made his way down the streets of Chapin. He also gave us a shout out, recognizing our ONE shirts. After the parade, two of our volunteers, Caitlin and Kristen, and I went to a nearby meet & greet with Sen. Santorum and got to speak with him and get this photo.

It was a fun time in Chapin, and just another great event with our ONE Vote 2012 Campaign in South Carolina. There will be many great opportunities to hit the campaign trail, and we hope to see you in the Palmetto State! Be sure to connect with us on Facebook & Twitter to stay in the loop about how you can get involved!

-Charlie Harris, field organizer, ONE Vote 2012

ONE members Katie and Trey catch up with Rudy Giuliani on the campaign trail in New Hampshire.

The campaign trail is starting to heat up in the Granite State. While the candidates are vying for votes, ONE members are engaging them and supporting American efforts in the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has made a number of appearances around the state. In July, he visited with voters in Wolfeboro. He indicated he had read that eradicating malaria would be No. 1 on the list of how we could best utilize our resources to save human lives. He went on to say that America is accountable to economic and political freedom around the world. This combination has, and will continue to, put millions in position to lift themselves out of poverty. Governor Romney also participated in a traditional town hall meeting in Derry. He said that promoting good governance and fair trade has a strong positive impact on the American economy.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was greeted by ONE members after an appearance in New Hampshire on July 15th. While he has not officially entered the race for the Republican nomination, Mayor Giuliani is aware of how important global poverty issues are to ONE members around the state. Mayor Giuliani has said ONE is a great organization and we should continue supporting smart, effective programs that have enjoyed the backing of administrations on both sides of the aisle.

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum hosted a meet-and-greet event at his Manchester campaign headquarters this summer, too. Senator Santorum said that he has been seeing ONE members on the trail, and thanked us for what we do. Senator Santorum spoke briefly and mentioned the importance of working in a bipartisan way towards solutions, just as he had done with Senator Durbin to help provide life-saving assistance to people infected with HIV/AIDS in the poorest areas of the world.

Dartmouth College was the site for former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman’s “Leading Voices In Politics And Policy” lecture this July. ONE members were able to speak with Governor Huntsman on his way into the event and give him a ONE band (which he put on immediately)! Governor Huntsman talked about the importance of trade as the sustainable solution for people to be able to lift themselves out of poverty.

All of the candidates will be seeing ONE members around New Hampshire. We will continue to find out where they stand on the issues related to extreme poverty.

Be sure to connect with other ONE members in New Hampshire on Facebook and Twitter.

-Tom Leary, ONE organizer

Here’s what each had to say about their experiences:

Jane Murphy talking to Santorum

I’m so thrilled to have had the chance to talk with both Governor Pawlenty and Senator Santorum in Davenport, Iowa, all in the same week! I’ve been a very active member of the Scott County Republicans for 11 years, I’m involved with Republican Women, I’m a former Scott County chair for Governor Branstad’s campaign, and I also worked for Congressman Jim Leach for 15 years. Even with all this political experience, it still amazes me the opportunity that we Iowans are given by our first-in-the-nation status! But with opportunity comes responsibility. That’s why I’ve become an active volunteer for ONE. With so much access to the presidential candidates and the retail politics style of Iowa caucus campaigns, I have a perfect opportunity to advocate for the world’s poorest people -– to use my voice in place of theirs.

Jane Murphy talking to Pawlenty

I told both Governor Pawlenty and Senator Santorum that I was recently motivated to volunteer for ONE as my granddaughter just returned from a six-week stay in Uganda and explained to me just how great the need is there. I thanked both candidates for their support of ONE in the past and encouraged them to continue their good works. Governor Pawlenty told me it was his pleasure to support such a great cause because the need is indeed so great. He said he is more than happy to do what he can to help. Senator Santorum thanked me for coming and told me that he was a strong supporter of ONE while serving in the US Senate and continues to be a strong supporter today. What a great experience! -Jane Murphy

Denise McAleer posing with Pawlenty

I just met my first governor, attended my first political event, and talked with my first presidential candidate all in one stop! I’ve never been very involved in politics in the past, but since leaving the business sector to become a teacher while at the same time watching my husband struggle in starting his own small business –- you could say we’re certainly tuned in now! I was of course interested in hearing what Governor Pawlenty had to say about education and small businesses, but when I had a chance to talk to him it was all about helping the poorest among us.

I heard him mention in his speech in Muscatine, Iowa, about the importance of not retrenching or eliminating foreign aid even during a budget crisis as it is truly an issue of national security. I had the chance to thank him for these thoughtful words after his speech and I told him that the courage it took to stand up for this issue and these people is truly and sincerely appreciated. He then told me that he had just had the opportunity to attend a U2 concert in Minneapolis with ONE and got to personally meet Bono backstage before the concert. He said it was a life experience he’ll never forget and that he is truly happy to support our organization. After this experience, I’ve officially caught the political bug! I’ve decided to attend the Straw Poll and I can’t wait to have a chance to meet all of the candidates now! -Denise McAleer

-Amanda Sebastian, ONE member, Iowa

Then on Saturday, we met up again with the Senator, this time in Des Moines with Will Rogers, Polk County-Co-Chairman. He thanked the Senator for his previous work with ONE and explained to him ONE’s request for continued funding for the 150 accounts at the level the Administration had requested. We then presented him with a ONE band (pictured).

Meeting with elected officials and prominent political figures is important to ensure our voice is being heard in the fight against extreme poverty. We’ll keep you updated as we continue to spread ONE’s message across the country.