President Joe Biden lost the Democratic presidential caucus in American Samoa to Baltimore-based entrepreneur Jason Palmer on Tuesday night. The unexpected upset came after Palmer, a virtually unknown candidate, carried 56 percent of the vote—though with fewer than 100 ballots cast by voters in the tiny territory, that broke down to just 51 votes to Biden’s 40, according to the local Democratic party.
A Biden campaign spokesperson shrugged off the loss in a statement to ABC News, saying there were “unique politics on the island.”
Meanwhile, Palmer celebrated his victory, tweeting that it was “a testament to the power of our voice.” The 52-year-old appears to have campaigned in American Samoa, which sustains a population of roughly 51,000 and will send six delegates to the Democratic National Convention, according to the Associated Press.
In a campaign video targeting the territory that circulated on X after his win, Palmer boasted that he was “actually very well-known” on the United States’ mainland. In a Monday tweet, he declared that “Washington D.C. is long overdue for a president who will be an advocate for American Samoa.” Read more at ABC News.
