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Jason Palmer (politician)

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Jason Palmer
Palmer in 2024
Born
Jason Michael Palmer

(1971-12-01) December 1, 1971 (age 53)
Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Virginia (BA)
Harvard University (MBA)
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, investor
Known forDefeating the incumbent president, Joe Biden, in the 2024 American Samoa Democratic presidential caucuses
Political partyDemocratic
Websitepalmerforpresident.us

Jason Michael Palmer (born December 1, 1971) is an American businessman, entrepreneur, investor, and politician who was a candidate in the 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries. Palmer won the 2024 American Samoa Democratic presidential caucuses, with 51 votes compared to 40 for Joe Biden. He was awarded three of American Samoa's delegates to the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Palmer became the first presidential candidate to win a territory while running against an incumbent president in a presidential primary since Ted Kennedy defeated Jimmy Carter in 13 contests during the 1980 Democratic presidential primaries.

Early life and education

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Palmer was born at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Maryland,[1] on December 1, 1971.[2] His father, Lonnie Palmer, was an educator and U.S. Army veteran who was superintendent of the City School District of Albany. Palmer's family moved away from Maryland shortly after he was born.[1]

During high school, Palmer won multiple cross country and track regional championships, graduating from Averill Park High School in upstate New York. He graduated from the University of Virginia in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School in 1999.[2][3][1]

He returned to Baltimore, Maryland, in 2010.[1] Palmer is a Quaker.[4]

Business career

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Early in his career, Palmer founded and grew three technology and services companies, before holding executive positions at Microsoft Education, SchoolNet, and Kaplan, where he was general manager and turnaround leader for multiple businesses, including corporate venture capital.[3] He has been a member of the advisory board of the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.[5] More recently, Palmer was deputy director for postsecondary education at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and general partner at New Markets Venture Partners, a leading impact investing firm.[6][7][8]

Political career

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Early career

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In the 1990s, Palmer worked for Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a Democratic U.S. senator from New York.[9]

2024 presidential campaign

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See also: 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries
Logo for Palmer's 2024 presidential campaign
The logo for Palmer's 2024 presidential campaign.

According to his campaign website, Palmer's campaign was based on three ideas: conscious capitalism, the new talent economy, and modernizing government.[10] He has described himself as a pragmatist, noting that he supported Democratic nominees Hillary Clinton and Biden in 2016 and 2020, but voted for Republican Governor Larry Hogan in the 2018 Maryland gubernatorial election.[11]

On January 18, 2024, Politico published an interview with Palmer, in which he touted his status as the youngest Democratic presidential candidate and one of the youngest candidates in either party. He called on Biden and all older lawmakers to "pass the torch" to a younger generation of political leaders such as Gretchen Whitmer, Gavin Newsom, or Jared Polis.[9][11] Palmer also promoted his management skills from his business career, stating that if elected, he would hire a skilled outsider if he lacked considerable knowledge in a field (like national defense or international relations). He also said he would center his term in office promoting technological advancements.[9]

Also, on January 18, 2024, Palmer participated in the kickoff to the Free & Equal Elections 2024 Presidential Debate Series, where he debated other Democratic Presidential Candidates.[12][13]

Palmer was on the ballot in sixteen states and territories,[1] including New Hampshire, Nevada, Colorado, Minnesota, Vermont, American Samoa, Northern Marianas, Arizona, Kansas, Missouri, North Dakota, Hawaii and West Virginia where he received a combined total of 21,027 votes.[14][15] Palmer won the 2024 American Samoa Democratic presidential caucuses.[16][17] He received 51 votes, while Joe Biden received 40, with a total turnout of 91 voters.[18][19] Both candidates won three delegates each.[20][21] Palmer's victory surprised many in the Democratic establishment; he became the first person to defeat an incumbent president in a primary contest since Ted Kennedy defeated Jimmy Carter in 12 primaries during the 1980 United States presidential election.[22]

Before his victory there, Palmer digitally campaigned in American Samoa, posting on Twitter that "Washington D.C. is long overdue for a president who will be an advocate for American Samoa". He campaigned mostly through town halls over Zoom, having never set foot in the territory.[18] He learned of his victory while watching TV coverage of the Super Tuesday elections with friends at a Washington, D.C. hotel conference.[1] Maddow compared Palmer to Michael Bloomberg during his failed 2020 bid for president as both won American Samoa after being the only candidate to campaign there, and both are wealthy with large disposable incomes.[23] Palmer loaned over $500,000 to his campaign from his own money.[18] Shortly after the American Samoa primaries, three minor Democratic candidates, Gabriel Cornejo, Frank Lozada, and Stephen Lyons dropped out and endorsed Palmer.[24]

Following his victory in American Samoa,[25] Palmer campaigned in the Northern Mariana Islands, another territory of the United States, but only managed to obtain 4% of the vote.[26][27] Later in the campaign, Palmer achieved 11% in West Virginia's primary despite having already endorsed President Biden.[28]

On March 27, 2024, Palmer announced TOGETHER!, a B-Corporation PAC to reduce political polarization, increase participation of young voters, and get younger candidates elected to Congress.[29]

On April 15, 2024, Palmer announced on Twitter that he was endorsing president Biden for the 2024 general election, though he refrained at that time from officially suspending his campaign.[30][31] Palmer withdrew from the race on May 15. Palmer also announced that his team would attend the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago,[28] where he was tasked with trying to win more Gen Z votes.[32]

On July 10, 2024, Palmer urged Biden to end his bid for re-election in an interview with Semafor amid growing concerns about his potential to get re-elected.[33] On July 21, 2024, Biden dropped out of the 2024 race,[34] and Palmer went on to endorse Kamala Harris for president on July 24.[35]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Barker, Jeff (March 6, 2024). "Baltimore resident Jason Palmer found faraway primary where he could win against President Joe Biden". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "About". Palmer for President. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Jason Palmer". IMS Global Learning Consortium. Archived from the original on August 6, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  4. ^ Chappell, Bill (March 6, 2024). "Jason Palmer beats Biden in American Samoa, and looks to Northern Mariana Islands". NPR. Archived from the original on March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  5. ^ Dickinson, Tim (March 7, 2024). "Meet the Democrat Who Beat Biden on Super Tuesday". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  6. ^ Hill, Jessica (February 5, 2024). "'Pass the torch': Entrepreneur presents himself as alternative to Biden". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  7. ^ Kim, Joshua (December 20, 2023). "3 Questions for Presidential Candidate Jason Palmer". Inside Higher Ed. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  8. ^ Swartz, Jon (December 7, 2023). "Tech investor Jason Palmer vows to deliver 'conscious capitalism' in his presidential bid". MarketWatch. Archived from the original on March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Padilla, Jackie (January 18, 2024). "Time to 'pass the torch': Meet Biden's youngest Dem opponent". Politico. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  10. ^ "Palmer for President 2024: Ideas". Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Lokay, Jim (March 9, 2024). "Maryland businessman Jason Palmer bests Biden in one Super Tuesday contest". WTTG. Archived from the original on March 9, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  12. ^ "Democratic Presidential Debate by Free & Equal". Rumble. Free and Equal Elections. January 18, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  13. ^ Presswire, EIN (January 5, 2024). "Free & Equal Elections to Host National Democratic Debate Jan. 18 in Los Angeles". ABC 27. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  14. ^ "Silver State 2024 Election Results - Presidential Preference Primary". Secretary of State of Nevada. Archived from the original on March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  15. ^ "2024 Democratic Presidential Primary Election Results". New Hampshire Secretary of State. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  16. ^ Doherty, Erin (March 5, 2024). "Biden's first primary loss is in a U.S. territory". Axios. Archived from the original on March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  17. ^ Mueller, Julia (March 5, 2024). "Biden loses American Samoa Democratic caucuses". The Hill. Archived from the original on March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  18. ^ a b c Megerian, Chris (March 6, 2024). "Who is Jason Palmer? A previously unknown Democrat beats Biden in American Samoa's Democratic caucus". Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  19. ^ "American Samoa 2024 Democratic caucus results: Little-known candidate Jason Palmer beats Biden". ABC News. March 5, 2024. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  20. ^ Cabral, Sam; Matza, Max (March 6, 2024). "Who is Jason Palmer? Surprise defeat for Biden in American Samoa". BBC. Archived from the original on March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  21. ^ McFadden, Alyce (March 6, 2024). "The Super Tuesday Shocker That Wasn't: Biden Pulls Out a Tie in American Samoa". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  22. ^ Bickerton, James (March 6–7, 2024). "Joe Biden Is First Incumbent President to Lose a Primary in 44 Years". Newsweek. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  23. ^ "'That person': Democrat Jason Palmer beats Joe Biden to win American Samoa, NBC News projects". MSNBC. NBC. March 5, 2024. Archived from the original on March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  24. ^ "Three Democratic Presidential Candidates Endorse American Samoa Winner Jason Palmer On Same Day He Releases Comprehensive Immigration Plan". PR Newswire (Press release). March 18, 2024. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  25. ^ Zoccolan, Andrea (March 6, 2024). "Chi è Jason Palmer, il candidato che ha sconfitto Biden nelle isole Samoa?" [Who is Jason Palmer, the candidate who defeated Biden in Samoa?]. Newsby (in Italian). Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  26. ^ "Northern Marianas Democratic Delegation 2024". The Green Papers. Archived from the original on March 12, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  27. ^ Zhou, Li (March 6, 2024). "Jason Palmer, the guy who beat Biden in American Samoa, briefly explained". Vox. Archived from the original on March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  28. ^ a b Pipia, Lindsey (May 15, 2024). "American Samoa primary victor Jason Palmer bows out of the presidential race". NBC News. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  29. ^ "Jason Palmer Pivots Presidential Campaign, Announces TOGETHER!: A National Youth Movement for Political Unity and Cutting-Edge Common Sense". PR Newswire (Press release). March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  30. ^ Palmer, Jason [@educationpalmer] (April 15, 2024). "President @JoeBiden is the presumptive nominee of @TheDemocrats and he's earned my full support and endorsement" (Tweet). Retrieved April 15, 2024 – via Twitter.
  31. ^ Palmer, Jason [@educationpalmer] (April 15, 2024). "Additional detail since some reporters have contacted me to ask if I'm 'suspending' my campaign: I'm proud to endorse Joe Biden as the leader of our Democratic Party and plan to campaign vigorously for his re-election. We're currently refraining from officially suspending our campaign as we're still working closely with the DNC and Convention leaders to define our specific role at the convention and in shaping the Democratic Platform. [...]" (Tweet). Retrieved April 18, 2024 – via Twitter.
  32. ^ "American Samoa's Democratic caucus winner talks support for Harris, Biden's legacy". KGTV. August 21, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  33. ^ Weigel, David (July 10, 2024). "Only one man beat Joe Biden in 2024. Here's what he thinks he should do". Semafor. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  34. ^ Nicholas, Peter (July 21, 2024). "President Joe Biden drops out of 2024 presidential race". NBC News. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  35. ^ "Jason Palmer Endorses Kamala Harris and Encourages American Samoa Delegates to Do the Same for National Unity". WBOY-TV. July 24, 2024.
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