[ad_1]
CNN
—
President Joe Biden was handed his first loss so far in the Democratic presidential primary by Jason Palmer, a venture capitalist whom few knew until Tuesday night.
A little-known candidate from Baltimore won the race for the Democratic nomination for American Samoa. Mr. Palmer’s victory in a small U.S. territory with fewer than 100 people attending his caucuses does not slow Mr. Biden’s momentum toward the Democratic nomination after dominating Super Tuesday races across the country. right.
“I am honored to announce my victory in the American Samoa presidential primary. Thank you for the support of our amazing community. This victory is a testament to the power of our voices. Together, we will continue to pursue the American Dream. We can rebuild and shape a brighter future for everyone,” Palmer said. post With X.
A Palmer campaign official told CNN that the candidate has three full-time campaign staff on the ground, but did not visit the island in person, instead appearing virtually at events.
Palmer told CNN’s Laura Coates in an interview early Wednesday morning that he was “surprised” by Tuesday’s win.
“I’m proud to say the local team did a great job. I think our message of focusing on education, health care and climate change really resonated,” Palmer said.
Palmer praised Biden’s “tremendous contributions” but called on the president to “pass the torch to the next generation of Americans” and said he would continue his presidential campaign.
Palmer, who has never held political office, began his ambitious bid for the White House in November. According to his LinkedIn profile, he is currently a partner at his venture capital firm, New Markets Venture Partners, and previously worked with Bill & Melinda. He worked at the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, and Kaplan.
The 52-year-old admitted on his campaign website that his candidacy is a long-shot bid with “little chance of winning” and that the campaign is driven by “ideas, solutions and a change in conversation”. It claims to be focused on He told the site that he is running in the Democratic primary because “(1) I’m a Democrat and (2) I don’t want to play a spoiler role in this election.”
“This is the most important election of the 21st century,” he said, referring to former President Donald Trump, who is considered the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination and Biden is the frontrunner. is extremely important.” Rivals in November.
The Biden campaign dismissed predictions that the president would lose American Samoa, with one campaign official calling it “stupid news.”
Campaign officials told reporters Tuesday night that they expected a very small number of votes in American Samoa, which Michael Bloomberg won in the 2020 Democratic race in American Samoa. It pointed out.
Asked for further details, a Biden campaign official said Palmer has a “status as a defender of American Samoa.”
In a video announcing his candidacy, Palmer vowed to be a champion for America’s youth and touted his plan for a “talent economy powered by mission-driven entrepreneurs and conscious capitalism.”
Last year, he participated in the New Hampshire Institute of Politics’ “Unknown Candidates Forum” and was listed as one of 18 Democratic presidential candidates who lack national recognition.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
CNN’s MJ Lee contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link
