Concord , NH — ONE members and voters played a key role in today’s New Hampshire presidential primary. As they have been for months, ONE members were spread across the Granite State at events and polling places, engaging voters and urging both the Republican and Democratic candidates, including primary winners Hillary Clinton and John McCain, to hold firmly to their commitments to tackle extreme poverty and preventable disease around the world.

David Lane, ONE President and CEO, commented on the grassroots energy of ONE members in the Granite State which motivated candidates to release historic plans to help the world’s poor:

“Since the earliest days of the campaign in New Hampshire, ONE members have been everywhere the candidates have been. We have challenged the candidates like never before on these vital issues, and in return, like never before, candidates have offered concrete commitments to fight extreme poverty and preventable disease. Whoever the next president is, he or she will know that millions of Americans want their country to take the lead in saving the millions of lives threatened every day by brutal poverty and preventable diseases. And when that president is sworn into office, ONE members will be on hand to make sure the promises made to save those lives, the very promises volunteers in New Hampshire helped to earn, are kept. Together, America can renew its legacy of compassion and global leadership. Together, we can create a more stable and just world.”

Throughout the presidential primary campaign, New Hampshire ONE volunteers, of whom there are more than 15,000 statewide, proved to be tireless advocates for the world’s poorest people. ONE members could be found at nearly all campaign stops, in coffee shops, at rallies and at debates, insisting the candidates speak on these vital issues. For example, ONE volunteer and former U.S. Marine Michael Castaldo of Dover logged more than 10,000 miles driving across New Hampshire to attend candidate meetings – Democratic and Republican alike.

“I served our great nation in the United States Marine Corps, but like every American Marine, duty did not end for me after my honorable discharge. I have now chosen to serve by helping to rally Americans around the ideas of fighting AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa and other places around the world. ONE encourages Americans to let the presidential candidates know that fighting global disease and extreme poverty is not only possible, it is a priority. Both Republicans and Democrats are coming together on behalf of all Americans to save lives around the world. This is not a single party issue; this is an issue of American leadership in the face of a global emergency,” Castaldo said.

The winning candidates in New Hampshire -Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican John McCain – have presented plans to combat global poverty and disease. Both candidates are part of ONE Vote’s On the Record Challenge, producing videos and providing specific answers to questions on HIV/AIDS, malaria, maternal and child health, clean water and education in the world’s poorest countries.

As part of ONE Vote’s On the Record Challenge, Senator Clinton committed to increasing investments to achieve universal basic education throughout the developing world. Senator Clinton also made a commitment to invest $50 billion for the global fight against HIV/AIDS by 2013, including increasing funding to the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and expanding bilateral efforts in Africa and across the developing world. In addition, Senator Clinton set the goal of ending all deaths from malaria on the African continent by the end of her second term, including a commitment to spend $1 billion per year to lead a global effort against the disease and achieve universal access to treatment and preventative measures. Finally, Senator Clinton also committed to make investments to increase access to clean water, to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health, and to realize complete debt cancellation for all Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) countries.

In ONE’s On the Record Challenge, Senator McCain said he would establish the goal of eradicating malaria-the number one killer of children under five in Africa-from the continent. He also reiterated his support for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program (PEPFAR). McCain also committed to increasing access to clean water in poor nations, as well as to taking steps to ensure all nations have fair and increased access to international markets through trade. While campaigning across New Hampshire, Senator McCain repeatedly acknowledged ONE as an organization he respects and, at town hall events, often passed his microphone to ONE members in the audience, giving them the stage to address voters.

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.   To see the commitments that each candidate has made, visit http://www.onevote08.org/ontherecord.

On The Record is a project of ONE Action to educate voters about the presidential candidates’ plans on issues of importance to ONE Action’s members. Only 501(c)(3) activities are funded by The ONE Campaign.

ONE is a grassroots effort of more than 2.4 million Americans, rallying Americans and pressing our leaders to fight the emergency of extreme poverty and preventable global disease.   For more information, visit ONE.org

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