Bernie Sanders Super Tuesday Rally In Boston

BOSTON — Thousands gathered on Boston Common for a rally for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, now considered the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. The Boston rally drew more than 13,000 people, according to the Sanders campaign's estimates.

The rally came three days before the Super Tuesday primaries, in which more than a third of Democratic convention delegates are at stake in more than a dozen primaries around the country.

"[President Trump] told the people in 2016 he'd provide health care for everyone," Sanders told the chilly crowd determined to hear the Vermont senator make his familiar pitch. "He lied."

Sanders also hit on "the 1 percent," minimum wage, "Medicare for All," homelessness and the fossil fuel industry.

"If we are going to save this planet for our kids and future generations, we have to summon up the courage to take on the greed of the fossil fuel industry, Sanders said.

Sanders, the self-described democratic socialist, hit all his familiar notes — only this time, supporters were hearing them in Sen. Elizabeth Warren's home state as she and other candidates vying for the nomination stumped in South Carolina while voters there hit the polls.

Rallygoer Meghan Perdue, of Jamaica Plain, said she originally planned to vote for Warren but changed her mind days ago.

"I think Bernie has the best chance of winning the Democratic primary, and I don't want to see a contested convention," Perdue said. "I think him and Warren are similar candidates."

Nick LaValle, also of Jamaica Plain, said he's long been familiar with Sanders and his positions.

"I went to college in Vermont; I've known of Bernie for 20 years," LaValle said. "I like that he's making the argument we should value economic justice. In order to win, we need to address those concerns."

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New polling just days from Super Tuesday shows Sanders has a real chance in the Bay State, where Warren was once believed to be the heavy favorite. Last October, a WBUR poll Warren held a 20-point lead over Sanders. In that poll, Sanders was third behind both Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden.

But a new WBUR poll released Friday morning shows Warren trailing Sanders by eight points among likely Democratic primary voters in Massachusetts. The poll's margin of error is 4.9 percent.

Of the 426 polled between Feb. 23-26, 25 percent said they were supporting or leaning toward Sanders, who has emerged as the national front-runner. Warren was second at 17 percent.

Former Mayor Pete Buttigieg was at 14 percent, billionaire Michael Bloomberg was at 13 percent, Biden was at 9 percent and Sen. Amy Klobuchar was at 6 percent.

Patch Reporter Mike Carraggi contributed to this story