SPRINGFIELD ‒ U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 Democratic presidential campaign announced Wednesday that it will open an office in Springfield next month as it looks to step up its ground game in Massachusetts.

Bernie 2016 Massachusetts State Director Paul Feeney, in a conference call with reporters, said while the campaign has a headquarters in Charlestown, it plans to open offices in Springfield, Worcester and the state's south shore in early 2016 in an effort to help facilitate grassroots organizing in those communities.

The campaign said it's targeting the second week of January to open the Springfield office, but did not disclose where it will be located.

Feeney, meanwhile, said the campaign also hopes to utilize the support of state Reps. Paul Mark, D-Peru, and Mary Keefe, D-Worcester, who are expected to serve on the campaign's to-be-announced Massachusetts Steering Committee, in promoting Sanders in the western part of the state.

The campaign further plans to dedicate a couple field organizers in western Massachusetts, as well as focus a lot of its efforts on the Amherst area at local colleges and universities, he added.

Despite the plans to engage area voters, Feeney said he believes the Vermont senator already has a large amount of support in the western part of the state.

"I think there's a lot of natural organic support (for Sanders) in Western Massachusetts. A lot of folks really share the his values and ideals," he told reporters.

More than 6,000 supporters turned out to support the Democratic presidential candidate as he hosted an early October rally at the Springfield MassMutual Center.