Sen. Bernie Sanders is turning up the heat in Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s backyard

Following his rally Friday night in Springfield, the Vermont senator’s presidential campaign announced Tuesday that he will hold an outdoor rally at noon Saturday on Boston Common. According to the campaign, “doors” open at 10 a.m.

Held on the same day as the South Carolina primary, the event comes as Sanders and other Democratic presidential candidates ramp up their Massachusetts operations ahead of the Bay State’s own March 3 primary next week. And following Warren’s underwhelming finishes in the first three nominating contests, her competitors in the race — particularly the Sanders campaign — have made a point of highlighting their canvassing efforts and endorsements in the Massachusetts senator’s home state.


Recent polling has suggested a potentially close race in Massachusetts. However, Warren’s campaign has projected confidence; less than 30 minutes before the Sanders rally on Boston Common was announced Tuesday afternoon, the Cambridge Democrat’s team unveiled a list of 147 endorsements from local Bay State leaders.

Massachusetts is one of 14 states (and one U.S. territory) that holds its presidential primary on so-called Super Tuesday. Early primary voting is already underway in the state.

Sanders, who is currently leading the primary delegate race, isn’t the first 2020 presidential candidate to appear at Boston Common. Last April, Andrew Yang (who has since dropped out of the race) rallied supporters in the 386-year-old park from the historic Parkman Bandstand. Bill Weld, the former Massachusetts governor now challenging President Donald Trump in the Republican primary, also attended a Boston Common rally in December.

During his 2016 presidential campaign, Sanders made a similar swing through Massachusetts, rallying several thousand supporters in Springfield before drawing a crowd of more than 20,000 to see him speak at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Sanders ultimately lost the state by a narrow margin to Hillary Clinton.