Who is Jason Palmer? A previously unknown Democrat beats Biden in American Samoa’s Democratic caucus
By CHRIS MEGERIAN (Related Press)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden was sweeping each Democratic contest on Tremendous Tuesday — aside from American Samoa.
He fell quick there to a beforehand unknown candidate named Jason Palmer. Out of 91 ballots forged within the territory’s caucus, Palmer gained 51 and Biden gained 40, in response to the native occasion.
“I came upon that I had gained as a result of my telephone began blowing up with pals and marketing campaign staffers texting me,” Palmer stated in an interview late Tuesday.
Palmer, 52, stated he by no means visited the territory earlier than the caucus.
“I’ve been campaigning remotely, doing Zoom city halls, speaking to individuals, listening to them about their issues and what issues to them,” he stated.
The end result will hardly derail Biden’s march towards his occasion’s nomination. Solely six delegates had been at stake within the U.S. territory, a tiny assortment of islands within the South Pacific with fewer than 50,000 residents. Palmer and Biden every earned three delegates from the race.
On the day earlier than the caucus, Palmer posted on X that “Washington D.C. is lengthy overdue for a president who shall be an advocate for American Samoa.” His account consists of footage of younger individuals holding home made marketing campaign indicators.
Palmer is a Baltimore resident who has labored for numerous companies and nonprofits, typically on points involving know-how and training. He stated voters need “somebody who’s extra of the twenty first century than Joe Biden” to function president.
In response to marketing campaign finance information, Palmer has loaned his marketing campaign greater than $500,000 of his personal cash.
“You possibly can’t take the cash with you if you die,” he stated. “However you’ll be able to change the world whilst you’re right here.”
Residents of U.S. territories vote in primaries however do not need illustration within the Electoral Faculty.
American Samoa has been the location of quixotic victories earlier than. In the course of the 2020 Democratic primaries, billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s solely win got here within the territory.