Joe Biden suffers loss on Super Tuesday as Democrat protest against President grows
Joe Biden saw a higher than expected number of 'uncommitted' votes in the Super Tuesday primaries
REUTERS
President Joe Biden suffered a surprise defeat on Super Tuesday, with multiple results set to raise questions about his chances of re-election.
The sitting President was beaten in the US territory of American Samoa's caucus.
Little-known entrepreneur Jason Palmer won 51 votes to Biden's 40, according to the American Samoa Democratic Party. While the territory is not awarded any Electoral College votes, it but still send Democratic delegates to this summer's convention where the party's Presidential nominee will be formally confirmed.
American Samoa has just six delegates, with Palmer expected to earn four and Biden two.
Joe Biden was hit by a protest from the Democratic Socialists of America
REUTERS
A protest vote in Minnesota was also far larger than anticipated, with nearly 20 per cent of the more than half of votes counted so far thought to have voted as "uncommitted".
Activists who oppose the White House's support for Israel had organised a campaign urging Democrats not to vote for Biden in the state.
A similar campaign was organised in Michigan, where 13 per cent rejected the 46th President's re-election efforts in anger at his Middle East policy.
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) group were seen as being one of the largest organisers of the protest.
Joe Biden said Donald Trump would 'drag us backwards into the chaos, division, and darkness' if he won the 2024 election
REUTERS
"Over 30,000 Palestinians have already died,” the DSA wrote in a statement.
"How many will be enough for Joe Biden to stop this war?"
Similar campaigns are being organised or Democrat primaries in Washington state and Colorado, with last night's results a likely warning of what is to come for Biden.
Despite yesterday's protest vote, Biden nevertheless won Minnesota and 14 other states, including a mail-in vote in Iowa that ended on Tuesday.
In a statement released following the results of Tuesday's votes, Biden said that it was clear that the Presidential election would be a rematch of 2020.
He said: "Tonight's results leave the American people with a clear choice: Are we going to keep moving forward or will we allow Donald Trump to drag us backwards into the chaos, division, and darkness that defined his term in office?"
In the Republican votes taking place yesterday, Trump also cruised to victory, winning all bar one primary.
Biden's predecessor was projected to win in a dozen states - including delegate-rich California and Texas - only losing Vermont to his one remaining opponent, Nikki Haley.