Jason Palmer (politician)

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Jason Palmer
Palmer in 2019
Born
Jason Michael Palmer

(1971-12-01) December 1, 1971 (age 52)
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 politician, entrepreneur and investor who is 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. 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[edit]

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[edit]

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] 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.[5][6][7]

Political career[edit]

Early career[edit]

In the 1990s, Palmer worked for Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a Democratic U.S. senator from New York.[8]

2024 presidential campaign[edit]

Main article: 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 is based on three ideas: conscious capitalism, the new talent economy, and modernizing government.[9] 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.[10]

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.[8][10] 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. He also said he would center his term in office promoting technological advancements.[8]

Palmer is 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 and Hawaii where he received a combined total of 10,042 votes.[11][12] Palmer won the 2024 American Samoa Democratic presidential caucuses.[13][14] He received 51 votes, while Joe Biden received 40, with a total turnout of 91 voters.[15][16] Both candidates won three delegates each.[17][18] Palmer's victory surprised many in the Democratic establishment, with Rachel Maddow of MSNBC calling the race for him as "that person Palmer".[19] Palmer 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.[20]

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.[15] 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.[19] Palmer loaned over $500,000 to his campaign from his own money.[15] Shortly after the American Samoa primaries, three minor Democratic candidates, Gabriel Cornejo, Frank Lozada, and Stephen Lyons dropped out and endorsed Palmer.[21]

Following his victory in American Samoa,[22] Palmer began investing in campaigning in the Northern Mariana Islands, another territory of the United States, but only managed to obtain 4% of the vote.[23][24] He said that he would support Biden if Biden became the Democratic nominee.[1]

On March 12, Palmer was mathematically eliminated from winning the Democratic nomination, as Biden had earned enough delegates by that point to secure the nomination.[citation needed]

On March 27, 2024, Palmer announced TOGETHER!, a PAC to reduce political polarization and increase participation of young voters.[25]

On April 15, 2024, Palmer announced on Twitter that he is endorsing president Biden for the 2024 general election, though he is refraining from officially suspending his campaign.[26][27][better source needed]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g 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. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "Palmer for President 2024: Ideas". Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ "2024 Democratic Presidential Primary Election Results". New Hampshire Secretary of State. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ "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.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ a b "'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.
  20. ^ "Joe Biden Is First Incumbent President to Lose a Primary in 44 Years". Newsweek. March 6–7, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  21. ^ President, Palmer for. "Three Democratic Presidential Candidates Endorse American Samoa Winner Jason Palmer On Same Day He Releases Comprehensive Immigration Plan". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  22. ^ Zoccolan, Andrea (March 6, 2024). "Chi è Jason Palmer, il candidato che ha sconfitto Biden nelle isole Samoa?". Newsby (in Italian). Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  23. ^ "Northern Marianas Democratic Delegation 2024". www.thegreenpapers.com. Archived from the original on March 12, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  24. ^ 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.
  25. ^ President, Palmer for. "Jason Palmer Pivots Presidential Campaign, Announces TOGETHER!: A National Youth Movement for Political Unity and Cutting-Edge Common Sense". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  26. ^ 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.
  27. ^ Palmer, Jason [@educationpalmer] (April 15, 2024). "Additional detail since some reporters have contacted me to ask if I'm "suspending" my campaign:" (Tweet). Retrieved April 18, 2024 – via Twitter.

External links[edit]

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