rush-holt

U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-12th Dist.), pictured during a Fourth of July Parade in Plainfield on July 6, recently cited statistics on global warming during a campaign ad for his bid to fill the U.S. Senate seat of the late Frank Lautenberg.

(Frances Micklow/The Star-Ledger)

U.S. Senate candidate Rush Holt set off a political firestorm last week with these three words tucked into a campaign ad about the dangers of climate change:



"Millions will die."



Holt, a Democratic congressman, defended that claim in the face of criticism from Republican U.S. Senate candidate Steve Lonegan, who dismissed Holt's climate change assertions as "silly hysteria."



In the Aug. 13 Democratic primary, Holt is running against Newark Mayor Cory Booker, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th Dist.) and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) to fill the U.S. Senate seat previously held by the late Frank Lautenberg.



PolitiFact New Jersey cannot fact-check the "millions will die" claim -- since it's a prediction -- but another statement made by Holt earlier in the July 22 campaign ad caught our attention.



"Every single month since 1985 has been warmer than the historic average," Holt (D-12th Dist.) said. "All 12 of the warmest years on record have come in the last 15 years."

Find out whether Holt's statistics are on target at PolitiFactNJ.com, and then join the conversation about them at NJ.com.

You also can follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

More Truth-O-Meter Rulings:

• PolitiFact N.J.: Sheila Oliver says U.S. Senate is mostly made up of multimillionaires

• PolitiFact N.J.: New Barbara Buono ad claims Newark's unemployment rate is 13 percent

We encourage you to comment on our stories. Please stay on topic, be responsible and respectful. Read our Community Rules.