Little-known Democratic presidential candidate Jason Palmer, who won a single, surprising primary victory in American Samoa this year, ended his campaign on Wednesday.
Palmer, an education technology investor and former fellow at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, already endorsed President Joe Biden for re-election last month. But he took the usual next step of withdrawing from the race at the time, citing discussions and negotiations with the Democratic National Committee and congressional leaders to “determine our precise role at the convention and in developing the Democratic platform.”
Palmer won three of the nearly 4,000 delegates attending the Democratic convention, defeating Biden in American Samoa, the only state or territory Biden lost this year. Palmer had not been to the area until winning the Super Tuesday contest. however, he said he held four virtual campaign events there.
“You can never expect to beat any incumbent, but I love the people of American Samoa and they’ve been wonderful to me this month,” Palmer told NBC News after his projected victory.
At the time, Palmer told NBC News that he hoped Biden would step aside in the race to make way for the next generation of leaders, name-checking himself and several other Democratic governors, including Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, Colorado’s Jared Polis and Gavin Newsom. California. Palmer also said he believes he will have a better chance of defeating former President Donald Trump in the fall.
Delegates tied Palmer for third place, even with Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, according to NBC News projections. According to federal campaign finance records, Phillips spent more than $7 million on his long-running campaign against Biden in March. Palmer spent less than $1 million by the end of April.
Biden picked up 3,526 delegates, far exceeding the 1,975 delegates needed to win the nomination, and 27 delegates will be “unrestricted.”
Palmer’s final appearance as a candidate came Tuesday in West Virginia, where he won more than 11% of the Democratic primary vote. Biden won the primary with more than 70% of the vote.
Palmer plans to enter politics, first sharing details of his campaign with NBC News. “TOGETHER!” with – a platform aimed at empowering young, independent-minded Americans to raise money for their causes, companies and campaigns – Palmer plans to support congressional candidates “committed to shaping the future of American democracy.”
He said he would personally donate to 10 efforts to get reproductive rights on the ballot in 10 states.
Palmer said that discussions about what to do at the convention are continuing, and that his team will also participate.