When former President Bill Clinton and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani visited the Mountain State yesterday to campaign for their candidates, West Virginia ONE was there! Senator Jay Rockefeller and President Clinton attended a rally in Beckley yesterday for Governor Joe Manchin -– and all three proudly put on their ONE bands! Gov. Manchin immediately recognized ONE and said that he just ran into ONE members this past weekend in Morgantown!

The next senator from West Virginia will go to Washington immediately after the election today, which means he’ll have the opportunity to support funding for smart investments in global health and sustainable agriculture in the 2011 budget. No matter what happens today, the candidate who fills the late Senator Robert Byrd’s seat knows that West Virginians care deeply about this small, but critical funding. To the many, many ONE members across the country who have built relationships with candidates on both sides of the aisle during our ONE Vote 2010 effort: let’s celebrate, but then accelerate our efforts!

In the coming weeks, all ONE members will be called upon to lift their voices to their members of Congress, incumbent and newly-elected, in support of continued bold American leadership in the fight against global poverty into the 112th Congress.

ONE members Angie, Brian, Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Matt

On Saturday in New Hampshire, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani returned to the Granite State to campaign for some local and statewide candidates. I caught up with Rudy in Londonderry with some ONE members who wanted to thank him for his efforts with ONE during the 2008 presidential primary.

During the 2008 campaign, Rudy would always make time to talk with ONE members and elaborate on his ideas about life-saving efforts in Africa and expanding trade and opportunity for the world’s poorest people.

It seems that in 2010, no matter where Rudy campaigns — in Chicago, Florida or anywhere else — he makes time for ONE members (sometimes crossing the street or even pulling ONE members out of the crowd). Saturday was no different!

Right after taping a quick TV interview, Rudy took time to speak with us about ONE. We thanked him for always remembering ONE and the world’s poorest people.He snapped a photo with us and told us that at an earlier stop, he ran into a ONE member who thanked him, too. Before he got in his car, he stopped and turned back and said, “You really are a great organization and you are doing amazing work. God bless you.”

As we hit the campaign trail to urge continued leadership in the fight against extreme poverty and global disease, it is always good to run into old friends and supporters of ONE!

Be sure to connect with other ONE Vote 2010 New Hampshire members on Facebook and Twitter.

ONE members with Rudy Giuliani

Last night in Chicago, I went with a group of ONE members and stood outside of a private event for Republican Senate candidate Mark Kirk. Rep. Kirk appeared with Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City and 2008 presidential candidate.

After headlining the event and taking a timeout to strongly endorse Rep. Kirk in an interview, Giuliani got out of his car, saw us standing in our ONE shirts and came right over to talk to us about ONE and our international life-saving mission!

We were able to thank him for his ideas about saving lives, expanding economic opportunities for the poorest people in the world, and for always making time for ONE members along the trail during ONE Vote ’08. Guiliani thanked us for our work and complimented ONE members everywhere.

We look forward to catching up with Rep. Kirk on the trail soon. We want to let him know that through ONE Vote 2010, 60,000 ONE members here in Illinois have made it known that they want their next senator –- whether Republican or Democrat –- to continue America’s life-saving role in the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease.

We also wanted to thank him for his efforts in the U.S. House for Aid Reform and the Berman-Kirk International Affairs Budget Letter. Here’s hoping we can catch him on the campaign trail soon!

Be sure to connect with other ONE Vote 2010 Illinois members on Facebook and Twitter.

- Christopher Shaffer, ONE Vote 2010 state organizer, Illinois

Cindy McCain noticed me in the crowd and crouched down beside me for a picture! “I love your shirt,” she said, “I went to Rwanda with ONE!” It is obvious that her experience stays with her as she travels on the campaign trail.

-Lauren Conn

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

Mayor Giuliani had only one scheduled campaign event on Monday – and it was at a NH business and closed to the public. But Michael figured that the mayor may make some “unannounced” stops while he was in the Dover area.

He send me this:

I called a friend that was “in the know” about Rudy and he told me the Mayor was going to do an editorial board meeting at Foster’s Daily Democrat in Dover, but that right now, he was on his way to the “Christmas Dove” in Barrington… 5 miles from my house! So a quick shower and shave, and I was on the move! The owners of the shop are ONE members and were sad they did not have their ONE shirts on! But they were glad to get another band as was their two year old daughter.

When the Mayor arrived, he shook my hand, and I was able to ask him if he would agree to make a video to go “On the Record”. He told me he would be glad to, and that he would get in touch with HQ on the subject. Later after choosing a Santa clause character for his house, he posed for a photo with me.

The snow is here in NH but that doesn’t stop ONE Vote ’08 and the voices of 2.4 million ONE members that are making sure the next president of the United States is a leader in the fight against global disease, and extreme – stupid – poverty. Way to Michael!

-Matthew Bartlett, Regional ONE Organizer

-Aaron Banks

Although Michael did not get a chance to ask his question, he told me that many people at the event were already aware of the ONE Campaign and our efforts to save lives around the world. Some even signed up for ONE from the ONE literature he passed out. In fact, one of Rudy’s top campaign advisors told me at the Winter Stroll that he had just talked with ONE advisor Jack Oliver and said how Jack is a great advocate for such a great organization.

Michael told me that after the event, it was very hard to get close to Rudy, but he saw Michael and made sure to go over and speak with him and take a photo with Michael in his ONE shirt.

In this election season, Republicans and Democrats are divided by party lines, and sometimes even divided by candidate campaigns…but no matter who you are, no matter who you support, everyone can agree that the ONE Campaign crosses all lines to make sure that the next president of the United States is a leader in the fight against global disease and extreme poverty.

-Matthew Bartlett, ONE Regional Organizer

ONE member Brandon Laws hit Main Street just as Mayor Rudy Giuliani made his was down the stroll. Brandon was able to briefly talk with the mayor and let him know that as a member of the ONE Campaign, he thought it was very important for our nation to do everything we can to help save lives in Africa and end extreme poverty. Rudy thanked him and even posed for a quick picture.

Later, as we walked down the street, I was able to talk with Rudy and thank him for the answer he gave me a few weeks ago at a town hall meeting when he told the crowd that as we have the richest economy in the world the US must be a global leader in fighting malaria and AIDS in Africa, and said that we need to encourage more trade with Africa. Rudy told me that he really believes in our work and that the ONE Campaign “gets it.”

Rudy ran into a few more ONE members as he made his way that night. Even in cold New Hampshire, people are realizing that we can save lives in the poorest nations on earth, when we drop our party differences and unite as ONE.

-Matthew Bartlett, ONE Regional Organizer

Rudy Giuliani came to speak to Iowa State students on campus last week and was greeted by a crowd of over 400 – including several ONE supporters. Mr. Giuliani spoke for a while and then took questions from the audience. When I asked him what a Giuliani Administration would do to support the UN’s Millennium Development Goals, he said, “I would work very hard to continue the programs that President Bush has supported and increasing them.” Seeing my ONE T-shirt, he added, “You do great work!”

After the event, I got the chance to shake Mr. Giuliani’s hand and offered him a ONE wristband which he wore as he posed for a photo and continued to shake hands with the crowd!

-Nora Tobin, President of Iowa State ONE Chapter