Jason Palmer, the little-known Democratic presidential candidate who won a single, surprising primary victory in American Samoa this year, ended his campaign on Wednesday.
Palmer, an education technology investor and former Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation official, previously supported President Joe Biden’s re-election last month. But he did not take the customary next step of dropping out of the race at the time, citing discussions and negotiations with the Democratic National Committee and convention leaders to “determine our precise role in the convention and in crafting the Democratic platform.”
Palmer won three of the nearly 4,000 delegates to the Democratic convention by defeating Biden in American Samoa, the only state or territory Biden lost this year. Palmer had not visited the territory before winning the Super Tuesday contest, but said he held four virtual campaign events there.
“You can never hope to defeat a sitting president, but I love the people of American Samoa, and they have been wonderful to me over the past month,” Palmer told NBC News after his projected victory.
At the time, Palmer also told NBC News that he hoped Biden would pull away in the race and pave the way for the next generation of leaders, name-checking himself and several Democratic governors, including Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Jared Polis of Colorado and Gavin Newsom. from California. Palmer also said then that he believed they would have a better chance of defeating former President Donald Trump in the fall.
Delegates put Palmer in a tie for third place on that front, even with Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, according to NBC News projections. Phillips spent more than $7 million on his unlikely challenge against Biden before dropping out in March, according to federal campaign finance records. Palmer had spent less than $1 million through the end of April.
Biden won 3,526 delegates, far exceeding the 1,975 delegates needed to win the nomination, and 27 delegates will be “uncommitted.”
Palmer’s last appearance as a candidate came on Tuesday in West Virginia, where he won more than 11% of the Democratic primary vote. Biden won the primaries with more than 70%.
Palmer plans to remain involved in politics, his campaign said in details shared first with NBC News. In conjunction with “TOGETHER!” — a platform that aims to empower independent-minded young Americans to raise money for their causes, businesses and campaigns — Palmer plans to support congressional candidates “committed to shaping the future of American democracy,” he said in a statement.
He said he will also make personal donations to 10 initiatives to put reproductive rights on the ballot in 10 states.
Palmer said discussions about what he will do at the convention continue, adding that his team will attend.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
