Bernie Sanders and his Bros to rally on Boston Common Saturday

Bernie Sanders will rally on Boston Common Saturday after tapping into his deep base of support in western Massachusetts Friday in a last-minute play for voters in Elizabeth Warren’s home state ahead of Super Tuesday.

“It’s not lost on the campaign, the significance of doing well in Warren’s home state, on having a good, strong showing and perhaps even winning,” said Suzanne Murphy, a social media activist close to the Sanders campaign. “That would obviously be ideal, because it’s her state. And it may perhaps put more pressure on her to consider whether she wants to take her run all the way to the convention.”

Sanders is barnstorming Massachusetts on the eve of the South Carolina primary, riding a wave of front-runner momentum from wins in New Hampshire and Nevada, and a close second-place finish in the still-contested Iowa caucuses.

He’s now looking to challenge Warren directly on the Massachusetts senator’s home turf, with a rally planned for noon Saturday on the Boston Common, just a short ride from her home in Cambridge, as Warren continues her sweep through the South.

Boston approved a permit for a rally of 10,000 people. Boston Police Department spokesman Sgt. John Boyle said, “We will have officers on duty at that event. For any large event we have an operation plan in effect.”

Sanders and Warren are locked in a tight race in the Bay State, where voters will cast ballots March 3 as part of the 14-state Super Tuesday slate. A WBUR poll released Friday showed Sanders with 25% support among likely Democratic primary voters, while Warren had 17%. A UMass Lowell poll last Friday showed Sanders with 21% to Warren’s 20%.

“I think that the home state advantage is for Sen. Warren, but also again Bernie Sanders is well-known in Massachusetts. He performed well here in 2016,” said Springfield City Councilor at-large Jesse Lederman.

Lederman said the Sanders campaign has made a strong organizing push over the past two weeks, particularly in western Massachusetts, the senator’s stronghold in his narrow 2016 loss to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“I think he stands a very good chance of winning,” Lederman said.

As Sanders supporters “feel the Bern” in person this weekend, Warren’s campaign will flood the Bay State with surrogates to help get out the vote. The Persist PAC now backing Warren included Boston in its $9 million, nine-market ad buy. And Warren will return home to vote Tuesday, her team announced Friday after days of uncertainty, before heading to Michigan for a nighttime rally.

U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a national campaign co-chairwoman for Warren, said, “We’re taking nothing for granted, including in Massachusetts.”

Pressley said she’s “not surprised that Bernie is doing well here,” but Warren’s campaign “is built to last.”

The significance of Sanders’ visit was not lost on those in the crowd Friday in Springfield.

“I’m sure he wants to put a dent in Elizabeth Warren. I think he will,” said David Ludwig of Easthampton.

“I’m honored,” said Daniel Seitz of Great Barrington. “It says a lot about his reaching out across the country.”

Sean Philip Cotter contributed to this report.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3aiNjsv