President Biden was projected to lose the Democratic caucuses in American Samoa to an obscure candidate in a surprising result that comes amid a string of Super Tuesday wins.
The race was called Tuesday night by Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ), who confirmed the results with the Democratic Party of American Samoa.
Democrat Jason Palmer, an entrepreneur running a long-shot bid against the incumbent, was projected to win the U.S. territory’s Democratic race.
Palmer has reportedly qualified for the presidential ballot in just 16 states and territories, according to a release from the campaign through PR Newswire. Palmer notably campaigned in the territory.
Since American Samoa is a U.S. territory, it doesn’t have electoral votes in the general election — but it can still send 11 delegates to the Democratic National Convention later this year. Palmer and Biden have both each won 3 delegates.
Democrat Michael Bloomberg came out on top in the party’s 2020 Super Tuesday contest in American Samoa, while then-candidate Biden got single-digit support.
American Samoa held its party contest on Super Tuesday, along with more than a dozen states — and hundreds of delegates are on each party’s table in the March 5 primaries and caucuses. The contests are set to give boosts to both Biden and former President Trump, the GOP front-runner, as they fight to lock in their respective party nods.