Joe Biden could face considerable trouble at the polls as he became the first incumbent president to lose a primary in over four decades.
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Biden won 15 of Super Tuesday’s 16 primaries and caucuses but fell short to an unknown Democratic contender in American Samoa.
Out of 91 ballots cast in the territory’s caucus, entrepreneur Jason Palmer won 51 and Biden won 40, according to the local party.
The shock loss helped the President set yet another record for his administration – one that 40 years ago spelled the beginning of the end for President Jimmy Carter.
The results in American Samoa come 44 years and one day after Carter lost the first in a series of primaries to fellow Democrat Sen. Ted Kennedy.
Carter first capitulated in Kennedy’s home state of Massachusetts on March 4, 1980. Other blows followed then in Connecticut, New York, Arizona and Pennsylvania.
The former president ultimately went on to secure the nomination in August – three full months after Republican Ronald Reagan did – and suffered a crushing defeat at the polls later that year.
American Samoa, however, does have a record for delivering unexpected primary results to Biden, as the island was the only place where former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg won during the 2020 primaries.
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And the outcome will hardly derail Biden’s march toward his party’s nomination as Palmer and Biden each earned three delegates from the race.
On the day before the caucus, Palmer posted on X that “Washington DC is long overdue for a president who will be an advocate for American Samoa.”
Palmer is a Baltimore resident who has worked for various businesses and nonprofits, often on issues involving technology and education.
He said voters want “someone who is more of the 21st century than Joe Biden” to serve as president.
According to campaign finance records, Palmer has loaned his campaign more than $500,000 of his own money.
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Residents of U.S. territories vote in primaries but do not have representation in the Electoral College.
