Jason Palmer, a relatively unknown Democratic presidential hopeful, recently ended his campaign after winning a lone primary victory in American Samoa earlier this year. Despite endorsing President Joe Biden for re-election last month, Palmer had delayed dropping out of the 2024 race in order to negotiate his role at the Democratic National Convention and in the drafting of the party’s platform. Palmer’s unexpected win in American Samoa, the only state or territory Biden lost this year, earned him three delegates to the Democratic convention.
Palmer, an education technology investor and former staffer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, had not visited American Samoa before his victory, but he held virtual campaign events in the territory. After his projected win, Palmer expressed his love for the people of American Samoa and thanked them for their support. He had also hoped that Biden would step aside in the race for president to make way for younger leaders, including himself and a few Democratic governors, whom he believed had a better chance of defeating former President Donald Trump in the fall.
Despite spending less than $1 million on his campaign through the end of April, Palmer was tied for third place in the delegate count with Rep. Dean Phillips, who dropped out of the race in March after spending over $7 million on his long-shot challenge against Biden. Currently, Biden leads the delegate count by a wide margin, with 3.526 delegates secured out of the 1,975 needed to win the nomination. Palmer’s final showing as a candidate came in West Virginia, where he garnered more than 11% of the Democratic primary vote, compared to Biden’s over 70% victory.
Following the end of his presidential campaign, Palmer announced plans to stay involved in politics by endorsing congressional candidates dedicated to shaping the future of American democracy through the platform “TOGETHER!” This platform aims to empower young, independent-minded Americans to raise funds for their causes, companies, and campaigns. Additionally, Palmer will personally donate to efforts in 10 states to get reproductive rights on the ballot. Discussions about his role at the Democratic convention are ongoing, and Palmer’s team will be attending the event to support his future political endeavors.
