Joe Biden became the first sitting president to lose a primary since Jimmy Carter in 1980 when he was defeated by obscure rival Jason Palmer in the Democratic primary in American Samoa.
Biden's flawless night, which included multiple primary victories across the country, was marred by Palmer's unexpected victory.
Following a flurry of wins on Super Tuesday, Biden and Donald Trump find themselves decisively front-runners for the 2024 presidential primaries in their respective parties, rematching the 2020 race. But each contender only had one primary loss; in addition to Biden's loss in American Samoa, Trump unexpectedly lost in Vermont to former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley.
Palmer, a resident of Maryland, received 51 votes out of 91 cast in the American Samoa primary, compared to 40 for Biden. There were only six delegates up for grabs; Palmer won four and Biden won two.
According to the CIA's global fact book, American Samoa is a small U.S. territory in the South Pacific with an estimated 44,620 people living there as of 2023.
Palmer lent more than $500,000 of his personal funds to his presidential campaign, according to reports on campaign financing.
He remarked in an interview late on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press: "I found out that I had won because my phone started blowing up with friends and campaign staffers texting me."
Jimmy Carter, the Democratic opponent Ted Kennedy, defeated him in 12 of the primaries in 1980, making him the last sitting president to lose a primary. Carter did end up victorious in the Democratic primary overall, but he lost badly to Republican Ronald Reagan in the presidential contest.
Michael Bloomberg, a former mayor of New York City, became victorious in the 2020 Democratic primary held in American Samoa, marking his sole victory in the competition.
Palmer asserted that America is "sleepwalking into a Trump election" and encouraged Biden to "pass the torch to the next generation of Americans" in an interview with CNN that aired early on Wednesday.
He went on, "I'm running to energize young voters and to provide people on the center-left and center-right a positive outlook for the next four years."
"It won't work in November if Joe Biden only discusses foreign policy and foreign wars while focusing on Donald Trump. You must have a purposeful, well-defined plan."
Palmer further acknowledged not having traveled to the region while running for office, saying, "I didn't actually fly to American Samoa."
"'I actually did multiple virtual town halls and spoke with the nationals there because, you may not know, but people in American Samoa are not necessarily automatically Americans citizens."
During an election watch party at his Florida property, Mar-a-Lago, Trump praised his run of victories in the primaries, saying, "There's a reason it's called Super Tuesday." This one is significant. And experts and not, they tell me, there's never been one like this."
Biden wrote on X: "Today, millions of Americans voiced their opinions and demonstrated their readiness to resist Donald Trump's radical agenda to turn our nation backward.
Every American generation will have to stand up for democracy at some point. We are fighting this."
Next Steps
The Democratic Party primary in Hawaii is being held on Wednesday.
The Democratic Party's National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, from August 19–22, will officially choose the 2024 presidential nominee.
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