Jason Palmer (politician)
Jason Michael Palmer (born December 1, 1971) is an American politician, entrepreneur and investor who is a candidate in the 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries. Palmer won the 2024 American Samoa Democratic presidential caucuses, with 51 votes compared to 40 for Joe Biden. Palmer became the first presidential candidate to win a territory while running against an incumbent president in a presidential primary since Ted Kennedy defeated Jimmy Carter in 13 contests during the 1980 Democratic presidential primaries.
Jason Palmer
Entrepreneur, investor
Defeating the incumbent president, Joe Biden, in the 2024 American Samoa Democratic presidential caucuses
Early life and education[edit]
Palmer was born at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Maryland,[1] on December 1, 1971.[2] His father, Lonnie Palmer, was an educator and U.S. Army veteran who was superintendent of the City 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 from Averill Park High School in upstate New York. He graduated from the University of Virginia in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School in 1999.[2][3][1]
He returned to Baltimore, Maryland, in 2010.[1] Palmer is a Quaker.[4]
Business career[edit]
Early in his career, Palmer founded and grew three technology and services companies, before holding executive positions at Microsoft Education, SchoolNet, and Kaplan, where he was general manager and turnaround leader for multiple businesses, including corporate venture capital.[3] More recently, Palmer was deputy director for postsecondary education at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and general partner at New Markets Venture Partners, a leading impact investing firm.[5][6][7]
Political career[edit]
Early career[edit]
In the 1990s, Palmer worked for Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a Democratic U.S. senator from New York.[8]