Newark Mayor Cory Booker, widely considered to be the frontrunner in the race to fill Frank Lautenberg’s Senate seat in New Jersey, said today that he is opposed to cutting Social Security benefits, including raising the retirement age.

At a midday Expand Social Security press conference conference in Trenton, at the New Jersey statehouse,Ai??PCCC co-founder Adam Green called on Booker to declare his support for expanding Social Security. PolitickerNJ reports:

ai???Social Security is more important than ever,ai??? said Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.

ai???Even in the red state of Kentucky, voters support the expansion of Social Security,ai??? he said. ai???There is no excuse for Democrats right here in the blue state of New Jersey not to.ai???

Green called out Newark Mayor Cory Booker by name, arguing itai??i??s especially important for the raceai??i??s frontrunner to ai???declare his supportai??? on the issue given Bookerai??i??s ties to Wall Street.

Following the press conference, Booker responded to a tweet from Jason Comstock, who asked, “Do you support cuts or other changes to Social Security or Medicare?” Booker replied, “No. None & if anything expand Social Security.”

The PCCC’s Adam Green then asked Booker, “Do u consider raising retirement age a benefit cut?”, while Los Angeles blogger WhoDoes asked, “Do you consider Chained CPI or changing age of eligibility for benefits to be cuts to Social Security?”

Booker responded minutes later to both with one word responses: “Yes.”

“This is huge. Progressive activism today directly led to this airtight promise by Cory Booker to never cut Social Security benefits, a direct rejection of his friends in the White House and on Wall Street. He deserves props for that.Ai??Booker even opened the door to the most cutting-edge idea on the table: The proposal from Senators Tom Harkin and Mark Begich to expand Social Security benefits, which millions of seniors desperately need. I hope Booker firmly goes there next. It would serve New Jersey seniors well.”

In an interview with The Record of North Jersey last week, Booker suggested he might be open to raising the retirement age for people in their twenties or younger. But he didn’t leave himself any wiggle room with his answers today.

That’s very important, because with corporations cutting back on pensions, young Americans need to know that Social Security will be there for them when they’re ready to retire.

One of Booker’s Senate rivals, Representative Rush Holt, also affirmed his opposition to cutting Social Security. In a news release this morning, Holt praised the PCCC’s campaign to expand Social Security and pledged to stand firm against any and all cuts to benefits.

A just-conducted survey of Kentucky voters for PCCC by Public Policy Polling shows that expanding Social Security benefits is popular, while the White House’s proposal to cut benefits is not:

A proposal in Congress would increase Social Security benefits, resulting in a worker at age 75 receiving $452 more in benefits per year and a worker at age 85 receiving $807 more per year. Do you support or oppose this proposal?

Support ………………………………………………….. Ai??51%

Oppose ………………………………………………….. Ai??24%

Not sure …………………………………………………. Ai??24%

(Asked of 585 Kentucky voters – MOE 4.1%)

Do you support or oppose the recent White House proposal to cut the cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security benefits, resulting in a worker at age 75 receiving $658 less in benefits per year?

Support ………………………………………………….. 13%

Oppose ………………………………………………….. 74%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 13%

(Asked of 625 Kentucky voters MOE 3.9%)

Like the idea of expanding Social Security rather than cutting it? Join 300,000+ supporters and sign on as a supporter of Senator Tom Harkin and Senator Mark Begich’s bills to increase benefits.