Rush Holt vs. Millionaires In New Web Ad

Written and reported by Keith Brown

Saving in the Social Security system is not rocket science, according to Rush Holt, the only rocket scientist in the race to fill an empty U.S. Senate seat.

The formula is simple, the congressman says in a new web ad released by his campaign on Thursday: "Make the wealthy pay their fair share. End of story."

It is the latest in a series of web ads released by the Holt campaign in recent weeks. Like previous ads, it comes in a 1-minute long version and a 15-second shorter spot and shows Holt standing in a laboratory classroom-like setting in front of a whiteboard, addressing the camera directly.

Holt who trails frontrunner Cory Booker by more than 40 percentage points in a recent Monmouth University poll on Wednesday night scored his first polling win when he won an unscientific straw poll of Sussex County Democrats.

Holt received 34 votes, Booker garnered 19, Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver received 12 and U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone took nine. 

"What we saw last night is that when voters get to know Rep. Holt as a teacher and a scientist, they really like what they hear," said Thomas Seay, Holt spokesman. "And the good news is, as voters tune into this election over the next month, more and more people will be getting to know Rush Holt."

In the web ad, Holt delivers a blow to the so-called 1 percent, saying that those in Congress who want to cut or curtail the Social Security system are not telling the whole story.

"They’re misleading you to protect their privilege, and hurting everyone else,’’ Holt says in the ad. 

"Ordinary" people contribute about 6 percent of their paycheck to Social Security, while millionaires pay less than 1 percent, according to Holt.

"That’s because Congress has given millionaires and billionaires a free pass – an absolute cap on their Social Security taxes," Holt says.