Gary Palmer (politician)

Palmer declared his candidacy for the 6th district following the retirement announcement of 11-term incumbent Spencer Bachus.[5] In the Republican primary election—the real contest in this heavily Republican district—Palmer finished second behind state representative Paul DeMarco. In the ensuing runoff election, Palmer picked up the support of the Club for Growth.[9] Palmer won the runoff election by a margin of 64% to 36%.[10] In the November 4, 2014 general election, Palmer defeated Democratic nominee Mark Lester, a history professor at Birmingham-Southern College, 76% to 24%.[11] However, he had effectively clinched a seat in Congress with his primary victory. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+28, the 6th was tied with the neighboring 4th as the most Republican district in Alabama. Since it assumed its current configuration as a mostly suburban district in 1992, a Democrat has only crossed the 30 percent mark once.

Gary Palmer's swearing in for his second tenure in office in 2017.

Palmer took office on January 3, 2015, along with the other freshmen members of the 114th Congress.

Conservative Review has graded Palmer's voting record an A with a Liberty Score of 100%. Palmer is one of only three Republican representatives to receive this highest possible grade out of 247 Republicans in the House of Representatives.[12]

Palmer was elected Chair of the House Republican Policy Committee for the 116th Congress[13]

• United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

• Freedom Caucus[14]
• Republican Study Committee[15]

Palmer opposes legal abortion and says that the Declaration of Independence was pro-life in its statements on "all men" having "unalienable Rights" to "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."[17] As a result of his anti-abortion voting record, Palmer has a zero percent rating from Planned Parenthood.[18]

As of 2018, Palmer has a rating of seven percent from the ACLU for his pro-civil rights voting record.[19]

Palmer supports peaceful protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. He has expressed that he is "outraged over these deaths & pray justice will be swift, with urgency to address underlying issues of distrust & suspicion that divide us."[20]

Palmer has a score of 0 out of 100 for his anti-LGTBQI voting record from the Human Rights Campaign.[21] Palmer supports bathroom bills. He stated that allowing transgender people to use the bathroom of their choice is something "no reasonable person" would allow and said that "the safety implications for sexual predation have been well documented."[22]

He also opposes same-sex marriage stating that "No one can change the fundamental nature of what marriage is: the union of a man and a woman and the formation of a family which is the foundation of every civilization."[23]

Palmer supports efforts requiring photo identification to be required in order to vote.[24]

During the COVID-19 crisis, Palmer opposed proxy voting while Congress was unable to work onsite at the Capitol due to shelter-in-place orders.[25]

Palmer opposed Planned Parenthood affiliates from receiving funding from the Paycheck Protection Program.[26]

Palmer voted to support medical marijuana research but is opposed to legalizing marijuana.[17]

Palmer supports state's rights to oversee government programs.

He supports full transparency regarding campaign contributions.[24]

Palmer supports term limits, specifically six years for congresspeople and twelve years for senators.[24]

After the 2020 presidential election, Palmer was among 126 House Republicans who supported Texas v. Pennsylvania, a case that unsuccessfully asked the Supreme Court to overturn election results from Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.[27][28]

Palmer is a supporter of gun rights. He opposes gun restrictions and efforts to repeal what he deems unconstitutional gun restrictions. He supports efforts that enable legal gun owners to carry their guns, including concealed carry, over state lines.[29]

Palmer opposes the Affordable Care Act calling it "a nightmare" and that it is "job killing." He supports efforts to repeal it.[30]

Palmer is pro-nuclear weapons. He supports increasing funding for the Defense Department specifically around work in the Middle East.[31]

Palmer opposes illegal immigration to the United States, including allow undocumented workers the right to work in the US. He supports efforts to deport undocumented immigrants.[32]

Palmer voted in support of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[33] He says that the tax plan would "put more money in the pockets of the American people" and "launch economic growth." He blamed the Obama administration and a "burdensome tax code that was designed for a 1986 economy," for an "anemic" economy.[34]

In December 2020, Palmer was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who signed an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden prevailed[35] over incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of the election held by another state.[36][37][38]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." Additionally, Pelosi reprimanded Palmer and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."[39][40] New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell, citing section three of the 14th Amendment, called for Pelosi to not seat Palmer and the other Republicans who signed the brief supporting the suit. Pascrell argued that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[41]