Gary Palmer
Gary Palmer (born c. 1951 in Hackleburg, Marion County) represents the 6th Congressional District of Alabama in the U.S. House of Representatives and was a former president of the Alabama Policy Institute.
Palmer earned a bachelor of science in operations management at the University of Alabama in 1972. He joined the Alabama Family Alliance in 1989 and rose to the position of president. The AFA was renamed the Alabama Policy Institute in 2000.
Palmer was appointed to Governor Fob James's Welfare Reform Commission, to Governor Bob Riley's Task Force to Strengthen Alabama Families, and to Governor Robert Bentley's Alabama Commission on Improving State Government.
Palmer made his first run for elected office in the 2014 Republican primary for U.S. Congress, explaining that he felt "called" to seek the office. He finished second in the primary behind state legislator Paul DeMarco, but after a bitter runoff campaign, overtook DeMarco to win the nomination in the overwhelmingly-Republican 6th District. He easily defeated Democratic challengers Mark Lester, David Putman and Danner Kline in the 2014, 2016 and 2018 general elections. He has pledged to limit his time in office to five terms.
In November 2018 Palmer was elected to succeed Luke Messer as Chair of the House Republican Policy Committee. In 2023 he signed on as a co-sponsor of a "Fair Tax" bill to dismantle the Internal Revenue Service and enact a national 30% sales tax.
Palmer and his wife, Ann, have three children: Claire, Kathleen and Rob.
| Preceded by: Spencer Bachus |
Representative, 6th Congressional District of Alabama 2014 - present |
Succeeded by: (current) |
References
- Eliasoph, Jeff (July 11, 2014) "One on one with Gary Palmer, 6th Congressional District Republican candidate." Alabamas13.com
- Underwood, Madison (July 15, 2014) "Gary Palmer swamps Paul DeMarco in 6th District Republican runoff." The Birmingham News
- Underwood, Madison (November 5, 2014) "Gary Palmer beats Mark Lester in Alabama's 6th District congressional race." The Birmingham News
External links
- Gary Palmer campaign website
- Gary Palmer at ballotpedia.org