Anti-poverty group to spend $1.8 million on primary ads

from WCAX

WASHINGTON (AP) - An anti-poverty group is running $1.8 million worth of television ads in Iowa and New Hampshire in hopes of influencing the early presidential primaries.

The bipartisan ONE campaign is encouraging people to ask the presidential candidates what they would do about the world's poorest people.

The TV spot will run in conjunction with print advertisements and direct mailings.

The group was created in 2004 by rocker Bono and is co-chaired by Democratic former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and Republican former Majority Leader Bill Frist.

Most of the top candidates of both parties participated by filming a video response or turning in a questionnaire, the organization said. Republicans Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson have not yet done so.