Joe Biden failed to sweep the Democrat primary races Tuesday, losing big in American Samoa, an island American territory located in the South Pacific Ocean.
Previously unknown Democrat contender Jason Palmer has been declared the winner of the contest with 56 percent of the vote to Biden’s with 44 percent.
Little-known candidate Jason Palmer defeated Pres. Biden in the American Samoa Democratic caucuses, ABC News reports, based on a call to the Democratic Party chair. https://t.co/mD8knXeo64 pic.twitter.com/q5W9UzeBY6
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) March 6, 2024
Palmer, a 52-year-old businessman from Baltimore, previously served in leadership positions at multiple organizations, including Microsoft, Kaplan Education, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and New Markets Venture Partners, according to his campaign website.
The Democrat told ABC News that he realized he had won American Samoa at 9:30 p.m. when “his cellphone started ringing off the hook” as he was sitting in at a hotel in Washington, D.C.
Palmer is slated to speak at a future of education conference in the U.S. Capital on Wednesday.
Out of 91 ballots cast in the territory’s caucus, Palmer reportedly won 51 and Biden won 40.
Surrounded by conference goers, Palmer told ABC News: “It feels great,” adding: “This is the message that Joe Biden needs to hear that the American people want to pass the torch to the next generation,” he added. “And so I thank the people of American Samoa for stepping up to make that statement for the rest of America.”
Palmer reportedly campaigned in American Samoa by hosting over four virtual town halls, including one on Tuesday afternoon.
“I think the people in American Samoa really responded positively to my message of civility and inclusion,” he told ABC News. “I was really attentive and listening to their needs for more resources for health care on the island, more resources for education and climate change.”
Biden won all of the other Democrat contests on Tuesday, although his victories weren’t always as commanding as some would expect for an incumbent.
In Minnesota, he won 70.9 percent of the vote, with 18.9 percent of Democrats going for “uncommitted” and 7.8 percent choosing businessman Dean Phillips.
Biden fared a little better in Oklahoma, where he garnered 73 percent of the vote. Spiritual guru Marianne Williamson came in second with 9.1 percent of the vote, and Phillips closely followed with 8.9 percent.