Booker Tweets He's Against Social Security Cuts

While he did not answer a similar question from a political rival and gave a vague answer to a newspaper editorial board, Newark Mayor Cory Booker tweeted on Thursday that would not support any cuts to Social Security.

The social media savvy mayor on Thursday was asked a question about his position on Social Security from a Jasen Comstock, a Twitter follower of Booker's.

Here is the exchange:

Jasen Comstock asked: "@CoryBooker do you support cuts or other changes to social security or Medicare?"

Booker replied: "No. None & if anything expand Social Security RT @JasenComstock: Do u support cuts to social security or Medicare?"

Booker was previously asked a similar question, also on Twitter, by Sheila Oliver, state Assembly Speaker and rival in the race for the U.S. Senate seat of the late Frank Lautenberg.

Booker did not respond.

And in an interview with the editorial board of The Record of Bergen County, Booker appears to have been considering at least some changes to the Social Security system.

"For Social Security, Booker said he opposes raising the retirement age for most people in the country – except, perhaps, for people in their 20s or younger – because the country made promises to them," the paper said.

Booker’s Twitter exchange came hours after a progressive group met in Trenton, calling on U.S. Senate candidates to support the expansion of Social Security.

Booker is the odds-on favorite in the Aug. 13 Democratic special primary election. The two-term mayor leads his competitors – U.S. Reps. Frank Pallone (D-6) and Rush Holt (D-12), as well as state Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-34) by at least 40 percentage points.

The winner of the primary will face off on Oct. 16 with the winner of the GOP primary, which pits former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan against Somerset County physician Alieta Eck. Lonegan leads by double digits in the latest polling.