Jason Palmer, the relatively unknown Democratic presidential candidate who secured a surprising primary win in American Samoa this year, ended his campaign on Wednesday.


Palmer, an education technology investor and former Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation staffer, had already endorsed President Joe Biden for re-election last month. However, he did not immediately withdraw from the race, citing ongoing discussions and negotiations with the Democratic National Committee and convention leaders about his role at the convention and his involvement in drafting the Democratic platform.


Palmer won three out of the nearly 4,000 delegates to the Democratic convention by defeating Biden in American Samoa, the only state or territory Biden has lost this year. Despite not having visited the territory before winning its Super Tuesday contest, Palmer conducted four virtual campaign events there.


“You can never expect to beat an incumbent president, but I love the people of American Samoa, and they’ve been so wonderful to me this past month,” Palmer told NBC News after his projected victory.


At that time, Palmer also expressed to NBC News his hope that Biden would step aside to allow a new generation of leaders to emerge, mentioning himself and several Democratic governors such as Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Jared Polis of Colorado, and Gavin Newsom of California. Palmer believed they had better chances of defeating former President Donald Trump in the fall.


With three delegates, Palmer tied for third place with Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, according to NBC News projections. Phillips spent over $7 million on his long-shot bid against Biden before dropping out in March, according to federal campaign finance records. In contrast, Palmer spent less than $1 million through the end of April.


Biden has secured 3,526 delegates, far exceeding the 1,975 needed to win the nomination, with 27 delegates remaining “uncommitted.”