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President Biden took his first loss of the Democratic nomination race, being bested on Tuesday night in American Samoa by Jason Palmer, a relatively unknown technology entrepreneur from Maryland, according to The Associated Press.
Mr. Palmer may have been the only Democrat to campaign there, hosting virtual town-hall events in the island territory located about 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii. Its residents are not eligible to vote in the general election.
Mr. Palmer won four of the territory’s six Democratic delegates, which are awarded proportionally to the final vote totals. Mr. Biden won the remaining two delegates. Dean Phillips, the Minnesota congressman, was the only other Democrat who appeared on ballots, but did not win any delegates.
This isn’t the first time American Samoa has delivered a surprising result in its Democratic caucus. In 2016, a majority of caucusgoers cast ballots for uncommitted delegates rather than for Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders. And in 2020, Michael R. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, won there, giving him the only the victory in his campaign.
In his quixotic campaign against Mr. Biden, Mr. Palmer has emphasized his relative youth. At 52, he is the youngest Democrat in the race, and nearly 30 years Mr. Biden’s junior. Mr. Palmer has also sought to distinguish himself from the incumbent on policy: In February, he called for a cease-fire in Gaza in a video posted on X.
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