With just four days to go until Super Tuesday, candidates made their last-minute pitch to voters in those 14 states on Friday.
Bernie Sanders spent the eve of the South Carolina primary in Massachusetts, the home state of fellow presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, where a new poll shows him leading.
Sanders gets 25% of the support from undecided voters in Massachusetts according to poll released Friday by NPR Boston. Warren, who has represented the state in the U.S. Senate since 2013 comes in second with 17% support.
“I haven’t really backed her because she’s been inconsistent. I haven’t really been able to get a read on where she stands,” said Kameron Morgan of Westfield, Mass. “I just don’t feel I could really trust her with my vote.”
If Warren ends up losing her home state to Sanders it could increase pressure on her to exit the race. The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows Sanders emerging as the front runner in the race for the Democratic nomination.
“I feel like he’s paving the way for me and my children and grandchildren to have a future,” said Rose Raiser Jaevons of Amhurst, Mass.
Raiser Jaevons will be able to vote for the first time this year, but said she’s supported Sanders since she was 16.
She was the first in line along with her fellow Hampshire College students and mother who flew in from California. She said she’s been to four Sanders rallies and was first in line at three of them.
They were followed by a group of men from Connecticut.
“For us to be able to be involved a half hour drive away up here in Massachusetts that’s a nice thing to have,” said Andrew Hettrick of Vernon.
Hettrick said child care and healthcare are the two most important issues this election.
“I shouldn’t have to worry about taking my son or daughter or myself or my wife to the doctor that could be an astronomical bill and have to worry about it and be put into debt forever,” said Hettrick.
Gianni Gardner, of West Hartford, said the Bernie Sanders rally was his first. He also put healthcare at the top of his priorities.
“As a person who just got out of college with no money I think it would help financially to have something that’s not as expensive or even free, Medicare for all, it would be nice to be covered,” he said. “His ideas are just you know it could change the world and the view of our country,” said Gardner.
Debra Cohen, of Wethersfield, volunteered for the Sanders campaign four years ago in Connecticut. She volunteered to help out at Friday's rally in Massachusetts.
She explained why she thinks Sanders has got a better shot at the White House this time around.
“I think that there’s a lot more enthusiasm and a lot more trust on the part of many people who had doubts about Bernie the last time. There’s a lot more steam, many more volunteers, a lot more energy and we need to go with it,” she said.
Cohen was joined by two other women volunteering with the Sanders campaign in Connecticut.
“He doesn’t change, and I think that’s what we need in a politician now, someone we can trust and believe it,” said Bonita Yarboro of Hamden.
“He’s leading a movement. He’s not just looking to be the president of the United States, he’s leading a movement of the people and for the people and he’s gonna get stuff done for us,” added Amy Hawkins of Suffield.
While Connecticut voters don’t get to cast their ballots in the state’s presidential primary until April 28, a visit by a Democratic front runner drew plenty of Nutmeggers over the border into Massachusetts for Friday’s rally.
“We are waiting for him to come to Connecticut. It would be nice if Connecticut was involved earlier. We’re not so we go to where Bernie is,” said Cohen.
Sanders has another rally planned in the Bay State. He’ll be in Boston at noon.
