FILE - A sailing ship is seen in the harbor at Pago Pago, American Samoa, in July 2002. Jason Palmer, an unknown candidate, won the Democratic primary in American Samoa on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. Out of 91 ballots cast, Palmer won 51 and President Joe Biden won 40, according to the local party. (AP Photo/David Briscoe, File)
By Chris Megerian | Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden was sweeping every Democratic contest on Super Tuesday — except for American Samoa.
He fell short there to a previously unknown candidate named Jason Palmer on Tuesday. Out of 91 ballots cast in the territory’s caucus, Palmer won 51 and Biden won 40, according to the local party.
The outcome will hardly derail Biden’s march toward his party’s nomination. Only six delegates were at stake in the U.S. territory, a tiny collection of islands in the South Pacific with fewer than 50,000 residents.
Palmer, 52, appears to have campaigned in the territory. On the day before the caucus, he posted on X that “Washington D.C. is long overdue for a president who will be an advocate for American Samoa.” His account includes pictures of young people holding homemade campaign signs.
On his website, Palmer describes himself as a Baltimore resident who has worked for various businesses and nonprofits, often on issues involving technology and education. He did not immediately return a phone message.
Residents of U.S. territories vote in primaries but do not have representation in the Electoral College.
American Samoa has been the site of quixotic victories before. During the 2020 Democratic primaries, billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s only win came in the territory.
Originally published at The Associated Press