Jason Palmer | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Palmer in 2024 | |
| Born | Jason Michael Palmer (1971-12-01)December 1, 1971 (age 53) |
| Education | University of Virginia (BA) Harvard University (MBA) |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, investor |
| Known for | Defeatingthe incumbent president,Joe Biden, in the2024 American Samoa Democratic presidential caucuses |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Website | palmerforpresident |
Jason Michael Palmer (born December 1, 1971) is an American businessman, entrepreneur, investor, and politician who was a candidate in the2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries. Palmer won the2024 American Samoa Democratic presidential caucuses, with 51 votes compared to 40 forJoe Biden. He was awarded three of American Samoa's delegates to the2024 Democratic National Convention. Palmer became the first presidential candidate to win a territory while running against an incumbent president in a presidential primary sinceTed Kennedy defeatedJimmy Carter in 13 contests during the1980 Democratic presidential primaries.
Palmer was born atAberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Maryland,[1] on December 1, 1971.[2] His father, Lonnie Palmer, was an educator andU.S. Army veteran who was superintendent of theCity 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 fromAverill Park High School in upstate New York. He graduated from theUniversity of Virginia in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and earned a Master of Business Administration degree fromHarvard Business School in 1999.[2][3][1] Palmer's idea of using capitalism for civic good is an outgrowth of time spent in University of Virginia's economics professor Steven Rhoads’ courses. Palmer’s interest in government is thanks to University of Virginia professorLarry Sabato, with whom he still stays in touch.[4]
He returned toBaltimore, Maryland, in 2010.[1] Palmer is aQuaker.[5]
Early in his career, Palmer founded and grew three technology and services companies, before holding executive positions atMicrosoft Education,SchoolNet, andKaplan, where he was general manager and turnaround leader for multiple businesses, including corporateventure capital.[3] He has been a member of the advisory board of theSmithsonian's National Zoo andConservation Biology Institute.[6] More recently, Palmer was deputy director for postsecondary education at theBill & Melinda Gates Foundation and general partner at New Markets Venture Partners, a leadingimpact investing firm.[7][8][9]
In the 1990s, Palmer worked forDaniel Patrick Moynihan, a Democratic U.S. senator fromNew York.[10]
According to his campaign website, Palmer's campaign was based on three ideas:conscious capitalism, the new talent economy, and modernizing government.[11] In Palmer’s telling, “conscious capitalism” means reshaping America’s corporate landscape –and the nation’s tax codes – to encourage more companies to focus on being in “business for good", which includes tracking what Palmer calls “impact metrics”, or measurements of their positive contributions, resulting inB corporations similar toBen & Jerry’s andPatagonia paying fewer taxes, and investments in them could be partly tax deductible.[4] Palmer leveraged generative AI to communicate with voters via SMS text and email, and answer specific questions about his background and policy. Additionally, Palmer’s campaign website featured an avatar, PalmerAI, that answered questions with the candidate’s voice and likeness.[12] He has described himself as a pragmatist, noting that he supported Democratic nomineesHillary Clinton and Biden in2016 and2020, but voted for Republican GovernorLarry Hogan in the2018 Maryland gubernatorial election.[13]
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 asGretchen Whitmer,Gavin Newsom, orJared Polis.[10][13] 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.[10]
Also, on January 18, 2024, Palmer participated in the kickoff to theFree & Equal Elections 2024 presidential debate series, where he debated other Democratic presidential candidates.[14][15]
Palmer was on the ballot in sixteen states and territories,[1] includingNew Hampshire,Nevada,Colorado,Minnesota,Vermont,American Samoa,Northern Marianas,Arizona,Kansas,Missouri,North Dakota,Hawaii andWest Virginia where he received a combined total of 21,027 votes.[16][17] Palmer won the2024 American Samoa Democratic presidential caucuses.[18][19] He received 51 votes, whileJoe Biden received 40, with a total turnout of 91 voters.[20][21] Both candidates won three delegates each.[22][23] Palmer's victory surprised many in the Democratic establishment; he became the first person to defeat an incumbent president in a primary contest sinceTed Kennedy defeatedJimmy Carter in 12 primaries during the1980 United States presidential election.[24]
Before his victory there, Palmer digitally campaigned inAmerican Samoa, posting onTwitter that "Washington D.C. is long overdue for a president who will be an advocate for American Samoa". He campaigned mostly through town halls overZoom, having never set foot in the territory.[20] He learned of his victory while watching TV coverage of the Super Tuesday elections with friends at aWashington, D.C. hotel conference.[1] Maddow compared Palmer toMichael Bloomberg during his failed2020 bid for president as bothwon American Samoa after being the only candidate to campaign there, and both are wealthy with large disposable incomes.[25] Palmer loaned over $500,000 to his campaign from his own money.[20] Shortly after the American Samoa primaries, three minor Democratic candidates, Gabriel Cornejo, Frank Lozada, and Stephen Lyons, dropped out and endorsed Palmer.[26]
Following his victory in American Samoa,[27] Palmer campaigned in theNorthern Mariana Islands, another territory of the United States, but only managed to obtain 4% of the vote.[28][29] Later in the campaign, Palmer achieved 11% in West Virginia's primary despite having already endorsed President Biden.[30]
On March 27, 2024, Palmer announced TOGETHER!, aB-CorporationPAC to reducepolitical polarization, increase participation of young voters, and get younger candidates elected to Congress.[31]
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.[32][33] Palmer withdrew from the race on May 15. Palmer also announced that his team would attend the2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago,[30] where he was tasked with trying to win more Gen Z votes.[34]
On July 10, 2024, Palmer urged Biden to end his bid for re-election in an interview withSemafor amid growing concerns about his potential to get re-elected.[35] On July 15, theDNC sent an email asking delegates to indicate on a drop-down menu on who they will vote for: Joe Biden, Jason Palmer,Rep.Dean Phillips, or "uncommitted." Answers to that questionnaire reportedly essentially gave the DNC a whip count on how firm – or soft – support for Biden was among actual delegates.[36] On July 21, 2024, Bidendropped out of the 2024 race,[37] and Palmer went on to endorseKamala Harris for president on July 24.[38]