Tuesday, March 5 was Super Tuesday. It went quite well for former President Donald Trump, who swept the field, other than Vermont, in such an overwhelming manner that Nikki Haley is reportedly considering dropping out of the race. It went less well for President Joe Biden who, though he won the states that mattered because of their many electoral votes, did get humiliating news from American Samoa.
That news is that American Samoa, a small territory in the South Pacific, chose Biden’s primary challenger, Jason Palmer. Only 91 votes were cast in the primary caucuses, 51 of which went to Palmer instead of Biden and handed him the primary and three of the territory’s delegate votes. As a territory, American Samoa has no electoral votes in the general election, as it is a U.S. territory, but does send delegates to the Democratic National Convention.
Palmer is an entrepreneur who is running in a long-shot attempt to unseat incumbent President Joe Biden. Having qualified for the ballot in just 16 territories, The Hill reports, he campaigned heavily in American Samoa in an attempt to secure at least one win. That effort succeeded and, though it’s far from enough delegates to put him in the running, it’s still a humiliating blow for the sitting president.
Explaining Palmer’s campaign and support in American Samoa on March 1, his campaign released a press release saying, “At 52, Palmer stands out as one of the youngest Democratic candidates on the ballot, offering a fresh perspective based on his experience as an entrepreneur and businessman. His platform is based on people-first conscious capitalism, modernizing our federal government, and reigniting the faith of young people and independents who have lost confidence in America’s institutions.”
Continuing, the release quoted Salote Iopu Finauga Mamea as saying. “Jason is giving American Samoa the attention it deserves! Appreciate his efforts and concerns towards our island in addressing issues such as climate change, infrastructure, government fundings, healthcare, and education. From humble beginnings to making a difference.”
And, giving an example of how he campaigned in the island territory, the press release said, “Earlier this week, Palmer became the first Democratic candidate to engage with the students and staff of Manulele Tausala Elementary School. The 7th and 8th grade classes asked questions about the issues important to them and shared their dreams for the future. Later this week, Palmer will participate in an event at MC Restaurant in Nu’uuli to meet voters and share about his platform and vision. The Palmer team will also host a park clean up in Lyon’s Park in Tafuna.”
Reacting to the news on X, the End Wokeness account noted that it was shocking that Biden had lost an election, even American Samoa, to his nearly unknown rival. It said, “Joe Biden just lost a primary election to a man nobody heard of until a minute ago.”
Nate Silver, the famous 538 pollster, said, “The polling is bad for Biden right now. Not irredeemably bad. It’s March and it’s close-ish and polls can be wrong. But he’s losing now according to a broad consensus of national and swing state polls. Plus his approval ratings are in the mid-high 30s.” He added, “It is completely pointless to argue about the arcane details of one particular poll when *all the polls say the same thing, more or less*. Now, there can be systematic polling errors, but they are hard to predict (keep in mind that polls badly underrated Trump in 2016 and 2020).“
