By STEPHEN SINGER Associated Press HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) _ In Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District, where more than one-fourth of residents rely on Social Security, Rep. Elizabeth Esty has moved the issue sensitive to seniors close to the top of her many disputes with Republican challenger Mark Greenberg. Esty, seeking a second term, is raising issues such as economic development, gun ownership and transportation. But her TV ads have focused on Social Security, promising unyielding support while insisting Greenberg would undermine it. “Mark Greenberg in his own words has said repeatedly he considers the system a failure,” Esty said in a debate with Greenberg, who responded that he’s defending himself against “lies” and believes ways to preserve the program should be debated. Esty said in an interview that 125,000 of the district’s 475,000 residents _ about 26 percent _ receive Social Security benefits. She said she’s voted against cuts in Social Security, including a proposal backed by President Barack Obama to calculate inflation more conservatively, known as “chained CPI” that would result in smaller cost-of-living increases in Social Security. Many Democrats in Congress and advocates for seniors dislike the chained CPI, opting instead for a more generous cost-of-living increase they say […]
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