Bernie Sanders is backing East Boston housing advocates in the fight over the Suffolk Downs redevelopment project just days before the Massachusetts Super Tuesday primary, voicing support for local affordable housing as he makes his play for Elizabeth Warren’s home state.

On the eve of his two-day sweep through the Bay State, Sanders tweeted, “We need affordable housing for all instead of more gentrifying luxury developments for the few. I stand with the longtime residents of East Boston fighting displacement from the communities they have spent generations building.”

We need affordable housing for all instead of more gentrifying luxury developments for the few. I stand with the longtime residents of East Boston fighting displacement from the communities they have spent generations building. https://t.co/OGpZAD755O — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 27, 2020

Sanders linked to an article referencing a federal complaint filed by Lawyers for Civil Rights Boston on Feb. 3 asking the Department of Housing and Urban Development to require the Boston Planning and Development Agency to halt its review of the Suffolk Downs project, citing issues over outreach to nonEnglish speaking residents.

Local officials and housing advocates have been locked in an extended back-and-forth with developer HYM Investment Group over the project, which looks to create an entirely new 10,000-unit neighborhood on top of the old horse-racing track that sits on the border of Boston and Revere.

Thomas O’Brien, founding partner and managing director of HYM, said in a statement to the Herald, “We agree that Boston needs more affordable housing. That’s why our plans for Suffolk Downs will create the largest amount of affordable housing ever created by a single project in Massachusetts. The project includes 10,000 new housing units, with 20% affordable overall, while creating 14,000 union jobs. And by redeveloping a shuttered horse racing track, we are adding to the communities of East Boston and Revere without displacing a single resident.”

City Councilor Lydia Edwards, who represents East Boston, quoted Sanders’ tweet Thursday and said, “Don’t worry @BernieSanders I have a PLAN FOR THAT!” — an apparent reference by the Warren supporter to the Massachusetts senator’s old campaign catchphrase.

Edwards, who has long voiced concerns about the availability of affordable housing associated with the project and about non-English language outreach, added, “The proposal at Suffolk Downs has improved substantially (with) millions more for affordable housing, union jobs, open space and transportation changes. We are still not there yet.”

Revere Mayor Brian Arrigo, whose city has approved development for the one-third of the project on its land, initially tweeted a cheeky “OK Boomer” in response to Sanders’ tweet.

“In all seriousness,” he followed up, “I agree that MA residents should have better access to all types of housing. That’s why we engaged in a year long community driven process and collaborated with many stakeholders to make one of the largest developments in MA history a reality.”

Arrigo then called out Sanders directly, saying, “Being an executive means making decisions that require compromise – nobody got everything they wanted but the end result was a positive for the community.”

State Rep. Adrian Madaro of East Boston thanked Sanders, tweeting, “Thank you for supporting our residents, Senator! East Boston is committed to fighting for a Suffolk Downs that will truly be part of our neighborhood, and reflective of the community that lives here.”

The Vermont senator’s foray into a hyper-local issue drew mixed reactions online. But it was an unquestionably strategic move from the current front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination as he looks to clean up as best he can in Massachusetts and across the 14-state Super Tuesday slate, with rallies scheduled Friday in Springfield and Saturday in Boston.

“It’s cheeky, in Elizabeth Warren’s backyard, to stake out a pro-tenant position,” said Democratic strategist Scott Ferson. “He’s playing to win. He’s the front-runner, so as much as people wring their hands over this, what does a front-runner want to do? He wants to close it up, end it as quickly as possible.”