Who is Jason Palmer, the Democrat who defeated Biden in the American Samoa caucuses?

“Based on what I’ve gathered from the local community, they just wanted to be heard,” Mario Arias, Mr. Palmer’s campaign manager, told The Washington Post on Tuesday night. Ta.

Palmer received 51 votes to Biden’s 40, according to the Associated Press. The Associated Press initially assigned Mr. Palmer’s four delegates to Mr. Biden’s two, but later changed the total to three delegates each.

About 45,000 people live on the South Pacific island, where Mr. Biden also lost in the 2020 primary. Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg defeated Biden there, marking Bloomberg’s only victory in the race.

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Palmer, a Baltimore resident, describes himself on his campaign website as an “entrepreneur, impact investor, and philanthropist.” He lists Microsoft and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as places he has worked.

Mr. Palmer touted his age (52) on the campaign trail, claiming he was the youngest Democrat running against Mr. Biden.

“Young people don’t feel like they’re being heard on the issues they care about most,” Palmer said in an interview with the BBC in November, citing climate change as an example. Ta.

According to campaign finance reports, Mr. Palmer loaned himself more than $500,000 and spent the money on several traditional campaign expenses, including ad buys and ballot submission fees.

palmer Said on Monday’s X “I can’t wait to have a president in Washington, D.C., who will be the champion of American Samoa,” he said, sharing a photo of what he called a “meet and greet” in Malaeimi, a village in the territory.

The campaign has staff on-site to help plan the event, and Palmer gave the speech virtually, a campaign manager said. For example, officials rented out a restaurant where dozens of people gathered at City Hall, Arias said.

Mr. Palmer’s victory in American Samoa caught the attention of another Biden primary challenger, Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.).

“I congratulate Joe Biden, Uncommitted, Marianne Williamson, and Nikki Haley for appealing to Democrats more than I did,” Phillips said Tuesday night, adding, “And Jason.・Mr. Palmer too,” he added.