ONE Vote ’08 Applauds Governor Huckabee for Speaking Out on Fighting Against Global Disease

 

Gov. Huckabee releases plan to increase America’s leadership in the global fight against AIDS, Malaria and TB

 

DES MOINES, IA -- ONEtoday praised former Arkansas Governor and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee for presenting his plan to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in Africa and around the world.

 

“Governor Huckabee today released his plan to sustain and increase America’s role in the fight against global disease.  Today, there are 12 million orphans in Africa due to AIDS, and an African child dies from malaria, which is transmitted by a mosquito bite, every 30 seconds. This suffocating spread of disease is erasing an entire generation of people from the globe, and we must do all that we can to defeat it.  The ONE Campaign calls on all presidential candidates to take a stand on these critical issues,” ONE President & CEO David Lane explained.

 

In a statement, Huckabee pledged his support for President Bush’s proposal to double the United States’ initial commitment for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), from $15 billion to $30 billion during the next five years. Huckabee also pledged to increase America’s financial commitment to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. 

 

“I am proud that the United States has led the global battle against HIV/ AIDS. We have both a strategic interest as the world’s only superpower and a moral obligation as the world’s richest country to continue to do so until this scourge is a memory. Through PEPFAR and the Global Fund, we can do our fair share to meet the Millennium Development Goals we affirmed in 2000, which include universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care,” Gov. Huckabee said in his statement.

 

ONE, through its ONE Vote ’08 initiative, is not endorsing or opposing any candidate, but is encouraging all presidential candidates to address these critical issues.

 

“It is encouraging to see Governor Huckabee and other presidential candidates making hunger, poverty and global disease a high priority.  I hope that all campaigns speak out forcefully on these issues and create detailed plans about how they will help to eliminate poverty,” said ONE Vote ’08 Ambassador and former Iowa Governor Terry E. Branstad.

 

“ONE members across the early primary states and across the country have been talking face-to-face with Governor Huckabee and all the presidential candidates and asking them, ‘What will you do to help end extreme poverty?’ Those grassroots efforts are elevating the discussion and winning real commitments from the presidential contenders.  ONE encourages all candidates to continue to speak out on these vital issues,” Lane added.

 

ONE Vote ’08: Saving Lives, Securing Our Future does not endorse or oppose any candidate, but urges all presidential candidates to take a stand on these critical issues and present their plans to solve problems associated with global disease and extreme poverty. The non-partisan effort brings together a broad range of talent.  Co-chaired by former U.S. Senate Majority Leaders Bill Frist of Tennessee and Tom Daschle of South Dakota, ONE Vote’s advisory team includes former Senator Bob Kerrey (D-NE), strategists Jack Oliver, Steve Jarding, and Dina Powell, former presidential advisors Donna Brazile, John Podesta, Tucker Eskew, and Mike McCurry, pollsters Geoff Garin and John McLaughlin, and leaders from the faith community, national security experts, and many others.

 

Earlier this month, ONE Vote ’08 launched the “On the Record” Challenge, the first major initiative that gives candidates from both major parties the platform to explain the specifics of their proposals on global disease and extreme poverty. As part of the “On the Record” challenge, the candidates are being urged to produce video statements and provide specific answers to questions on HIV/AIDS, malaria, infant morality, clean water and education in the world’s poorest countries. At the end of the challenge, ONE Action will roll out the results on ONE.org, allowing ONE members and all voters to compare the candidates and their policies. Each candidate will have a dedicated page featuring their videos and their policy platforms.

 

ONE and ONE Actionis an effort by Americans to rally Americans -- ONE by ONE -- to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty. ONE is a coalition of millions of Americans and more than 150 of the nation's leading relief, humanitarian and advocacy organizations.

 

For more information, please visit: www.ONE.org.