Who is Jason Palmer, the Democrat who delivered Biden his first primary defeat?

(CNN) — President Joe Biden was handed his first defeat so far in the Democratic presidential primary by a man who very few knew before Tuesday night: venture capitalist Jason Palmer.

Posted 4:42 a.m. Mar 6 — Updated 4:42 a.m. Mar 6

Veronica Stracqualursi

, CNN

CNN — (CNN) — President Joe Biden was handed his first defeat so far in the Democratic presidential primary by a man who very few knew before Tuesday night: venture capitalist Jason Palmer.

CNN projected Tuesday night that the little-known candidate from Baltimore will win the American Samoa Democratic nominating contest.

“Honored to announce my victory in the American Samoa presidential primary. Thank you to the incredible community for your support. This win is a testament to the power of our voices. Together, we can rebuild the American Dream and shape a brighter future for all,” Palmer said in a post on X.

A Palmer campaign official told CNN the candidate had three full time campaign staffers on the ground but did not visit the island himself, instead appearing virtually at events.

Palmer, who’s never held political office, launched his ambitious bid for the White House in November. He’s currently a partner at New Markets Venture Partners, a venture capital firm, and previously worked at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Microsoft and Kaplan, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The 52-year-old acknowledges on his campaign website that his candidacy is a longshot bid “with very little chance of winning,” and claims his campaign is more focused on “ideas, solutions and changing the conversation.” He is running in the Democratic primary, he said on the site, “because (1) I’m a Democrat, and (2) we don’t want to play a spoiler role in this election.”

“This is the most important election of the 21st century, and it is extremely important to keep Trump from returning to office for a second term,” he said of former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination and Biden’s likely rival in November.

The Biden campaign shrugged off projections showing the president losing the American Samoa Democratic primary, with one campaign official calling it “silly news.” Pressed for more details, the Biden campaign official said Palmer had a “platform of being an advocate for American Samoa.”

In a video announcing his candidacy, Palmer vowed to be a champion for young Americans and touted his plan for a “talent economy powered by mission driven entrepreneurs and conscious capitalism.”

Last year, he participated in the New Hampshire Institute of Politics’ “Lesser-Known Candidate Forum,” appearing as one of 18 Democratic presidential hopefuls who lack national name recognition.

CNN’s MJ Lee contributed to this report.

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