American Samoa

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

Why did Hillary win the American Samoa caucuses both in 2008 and 2016?
The results weren't even close: 57-42% against Obama, and 68-26% against Sanders.

This is interesting since AS held caucuses, which usually favored Obama/Sanders, instead of primaries.
Moreover, those were open caucuses, which should have led to Obama/Sanders landslides. But they didn't.
Why do you think this is?
Do Pacific Islanders prefer elitist mainstream candidates with political experience? If so, why did Sanders win Hawaii in a landslide?
Did the Mormon vote help Hillary? If so, why not in Utah and Idaho?
Or do fat people simply trust Washington Insiders more then maverick candidates? (Yes, American Samoa is the most obese region in the USA by far.)

[SingingAnalyst]

Did any of the three campaign much there? Perhaps they went for Clinton because she was the presumed winner both times.

[Tintrlvr]

Caucuses in territories are obviously different from caucuses in states. In the territories, the people who participate in elections for federal offices are only insiders, even more so in a caucus than in a primary, because the general public just doesn't care at all. Plus, institutional connections are key. Obama overcame these a little bit by having his own "Pacific Islander" cred (having lived in Hawaii and Indonesia), and that cred also gave him some connections of his own (analogous reason more or less to why he did so well in the Virgin Islands), but overall these places are always going to go to the candidate with more institutional connections in that particular territory.

Also, American Samoa in particular is not really a democracy, so how it "votes" shouldn't be perceived as indicative of public preferences.

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

Caucuses in territories are obviously different from caucuses in states. In the territories, the people who participate in elections for federal offices are only insiders, even more so in a caucus than in a primary, because the general public just doesn't care at all.

But that's their only way to participate in a presidential election.
The American Samoans ought to be happy that they're lucky to have an open caucus, unlike their "brethren" from Guam, the Northern Marianas and the Virgin Islands.

Also, American Samoa in particular is not really a democracy, so how it "votes" shouldn't be perceived as indicative of public preferences.

What? LOL. What else should AS be? According to Wikipedia it is a territorial presidential constitutional republic.

[Dr. MB]

Caucuses in territories are obviously different from caucuses in states. In the territories, the people who participate in elections for federal offices are only insiders, even more so in a caucus than in a primary, because the general public just doesn't care at all.

But that's their only way to participate in a presidential election.
The American Samoans ought to be happy that they're lucky to have an open caucus, unlike their "brethren" from Guam, the Northern Marianas and the Virgin Islands.

Also, American Samoa in particular is not really a democracy, so how it "votes" shouldn't be perceived as indicative of public preferences.

What? LOL. What else should AS be? According to Wikipedia it is a territorial presidential constitutional republic.

It has an elected house of representatives, but the senate is selected by the island chiefs.

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

Caucuses in territories are obviously different from caucuses in states. In the territories, the people who participate in elections for federal offices are only insiders, even more so in a caucus than in a primary, because the general public just doesn't care at all.

But that's their only way to participate in a presidential election.
The American Samoans ought to be happy that they're lucky to have an open caucus, unlike their "brethren" from Guam, the Northern Marianas and the Virgin Islands.

Also, American Samoa in particular is not really a democracy, so how it "votes" shouldn't be perceived as indicative of public preferences.

What? LOL. What else should AS be? According to Wikipedia it is a territorial presidential constitutional republic.

It has an elected house of representatives, but the senate is selected by the island chiefs.

That sucks. That's as bad as in the UK.

[Dr. MB]

Caucuses in territories are obviously different from caucuses in states. In the territories, the people who participate in elections for federal offices are only insiders, even more so in a caucus than in a primary, because the general public just doesn't care at all.

But that's their only way to participate in a presidential election.
The American Samoans ought to be happy that they're lucky to have an open caucus, unlike their "brethren" from Guam, the Northern Marianas and the Virgin Islands.

Also, American Samoa in particular is not really a democracy, so how it "votes" shouldn't be perceived as indicative of public preferences.

What? LOL. What else should AS be? According to Wikipedia it is a territorial presidential constitutional republic.

It has an elected house of representatives, but the senate is selected by the island chiefs.

That sucks. That's as bad as in the UK.

But in the UK, the House of Commons has all the real power, while in AS, the Senate is (at least I think) as powerful as any normal state/territorial senate.