President Biden experienced a surprising defeat in the Democratic primary of American Samoa, marking the first time an incumbent president has lost a primary since Jimmy Carter in 1980.
The loss in the U.S. territory in the South Pacific came on a night that otherwise saw a series of triumphs for Mr. Biden as he secured primary wins in multiple states across the nation. Both Mr. Biden and former President Donald Trump solidified their status as front-runners to clinch their respective parties’ nominations for the 2024 presidential race.
Mr. Carter was the last incumbent to have faced a similar situation when he lost a primary. In 1980, the Georgian peanut farmer lost 12 contests to Democratic challenger Ted Kennedy but managed to win the overall Democratic nomination. His eventual reelection campaign ended in a heavy loss to Republican contender Ronald Reagan.
In American Samoa, Mr. Biden lost to entrepreneur Jason Palmer. During an interview with CNN early Wednesday, Mr. Palmer urged Mr. Biden to “pass the torch to the next generation of Americans” and declared America is “sleepwalking into a Trump election. … I’m running to energize young voters and also center-left, center-right people with a positive vision of what we can do in the next four years.”
The loss in American Samoa is another sign Mr. Biden’s campaign is not hitting on all cylinders. For instance, a grassroots movement in Michigan last month aimed to get 10,000 Democratic voters to cast their ballots for “uncommitted,” but the effort exploded.
On Election Day, the “uncommitted” vote hit 10,000 within minutes of the polls closing and when all the votes were counted, more than 100,000 voters had voted “uncommitted.” That’s more than 13% of the Democrats who voted in the Michigan primary.
SEE ALSO: Biden suffers first 2024 loss to little known candidate
After the vote, a co-chairman for Mr. Biden’s reelection bid acknowledged the grassroots movement had sent a signal, telling NPR that their “message has been received.”
• Staff can be reached at 202-636-3000.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.