Home WebMail Friday, November 1, 2024, 11:24 AM | Calgary | -4.5°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
Posted: 2024-03-06T03:51:57Z | Updated: 2024-03-06T03:51:57Z

Jason Palmer won the American Samoa Democratic caucus on Tuesday, according to results posted by the small U.S. territorys Democratic Party .

Wait, Jason, who?

Palmer, a venture capitalist who has previously worked at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and for the test prep company Kaplan, has generated far less attention than other Democratic challengers to President Joe Biden , including Marianne Williamson and Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips.

However, according to Palmers social media feeds, the previously unknown candidate has spent the past week campaigning in American Samoa, hosting a meet and greet at a restaurant and a cleanup at a beach . The efforts were enough to receive 51 of the 91 votes cast at the American Samoa caucus. Biden received the remaining 40 votes, and Phillips received zero. No other candidates were on the ballot.

American Samoa, a collection of islands in the Pacific, is Americas southernmost territory. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , almost 50,000 people lived on the islands in 2020. Residents of the islands are not able to vote in the presidential election in November.

Your Support Has Never Been More Critical

Other news outlets have retreated behind paywalls. At HuffPost, we believe journalism should be free for everyone.

Would you help us provide essential information to our readers during this critical time? We can't do it without you.

You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you.

Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all.

You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you.

Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all.

Support HuffPost

Palmer follows former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as an unexpected winner of the caucuses. Bloomberg won them in 2020, the only contest he won despite spending more than $1 billion over the course of his four-month campaign.

So far, Palmer has mostly self-funded his campaign, loaning himself more than $500,000, according to Federal Election Commission records.

The American Samoa Democratic Party says Palmer will win four delegates from the territory more than either Williamson or Phillips have collected so far. Biden will win two delegates.