President Joe Biden suffered his first loss in the 2024 Democratic presidential primary election to an unknown Democrat on Tuesday in the U.S. territory of American Samoa.
According to the Fox News Decision Desk, Jason Palmer, an investor and entrepreneur, won the Democratic caucuses in American Samoa, earning four delegates and limiting Biden to only two delegates from the U.S. territory.
Palmer’s campaign website describes the 53-year-old Democratic presidential candidate as a Baltimore, Maryland, resident with leadership experience from Microsoft and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
While Biden won each of the other Democratic primary contests on Super Tuesday, Palmer handed the president an unexpected first loss in the 2024 election cycle. According to The Daily Wire, Palmer received 56% of the vote, while Biden received only 44% of the vote in American Samoa.
“Honored to announce my victory in the American Samoa presidential primary. Thank you to the incredible community for your support,” Palmer tweeted Tuesday night. “This win is a testament to the power of our voices. Together, we can rebuild the American Dream and shape a brighter future for all.”
Palmer’s win in American Samoa appeared to be a surprise upset on Super Tuesday, as some media outlets did not even have a picture of Palmer’s face to use for the projected win graphic.
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Sharing a picture of a CNN graphic that included pictures of Biden and Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) but only a blank head representing Palmer, social media user Jasmine Keith tweeted, “Joe Biden is losing to a guy that nobody’s heard of and that CNN doesn’t even have a picture of in the American Samoa caucus tonight.”
Announcing Biden’s defeat in American Samoa, Fox News host Bret Baier also appeared surprised, saying, “President Biden will lose to Jason Palmer, a self-described entrepreneur and investor. This marks President Biden’s first loss in the 2024 primaries.” Baier added, “I don’t even know who Jason Palmer is, but he is now the winner.”
According to Fox News, while American Samoa contributes to the delegates needed for candidates to secure the presidential nomination, the U.S. territory does not participate in the general election. The outlet also reported that the Biden campaign dismissed Tuesday’s loss by pointing to the relatively small number of total votes in the territory’s primary contest.
