33 Facts About Gary Palmer

Gary James Palmer was born on May 14,1954 and is an American politician serving as the US representative for since 2015.

Gary Palmer's district includes the wealthier parts of Birmingham, as well as most of its suburbs.

Gary Palmer's family lived on a 40-acre farm, where Palmer helped maintain the family garden and animals.

Gary Palmer has a bachelor's degree in operations management from the University of Alabama.

Gary Palmer was the first member of his family to earn a college degree.

Gary Palmer was a walk-on wide receiver for the Crimson Tide and played under Bear Bryant.

In 1989, Gary Palmer co-founded the Alabama Family Alliance, which later became the Alabama Policy Institute.

Gary Palmer served as its president for 25 years, stepping down in 2014 to run for Congress.

Gary Palmer helped found the State Policy Network, a nonprofit umbrella organization for conservative and libertarian think tanks that focus on state-level policy, and served as its president.

Gary Palmer declared his candidacy for the 6th district following the retirement announcement of 11-term incumbent Spencer Bachus.

Gary Palmer has been reelected three times with only nominal opposition, running unopposed in 2020.

Gary Palmer ran for reelection to the House in the general election on November 8,2022.

Unchallenged in the Republican primary and with no Democratic candidates qualified to run in this district, Gary Palmer was initially left unopposed.

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

Gary Palmer voted against the American Rescue Plan, an economic recovery and COVID-19 relief bill, in February 2021.

In November 2021, Gary Palmer touted funding for the Birmingham Northern Beltline that he added to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

In February 2023, CoinDesk reported that Gary Palmer was one of three members of Alabama's congressional delegation who received money from FTX, the defunct cryptocurrency exchange, alongside Robert Aderholt and Katie Britt.

Gary Palmer's office did not respond to a CoinDesk inquiry about what had been done with the funds.

Gary Palmer dropped out of the race for Speaker prior to an internal caucus forum.

Gary Palmer voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

Gary Palmer was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.

Gary Palmer was one of three members of Alabama's House delegation to vote against the bill, the others being Barry Moore and Dale Strong.

Gary Palmer has an "F" rating from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws for his voting history regarding cannabis-related causes.

Gary Palmer voted to support medical marijuana research but opposes legalizing marijuana.

Gary Palmer supports increasing funding for the Defense Department specifically around work in the Middle East.

Gary Palmer opposes illegal immigration to the United States, and supports deporting illegal immigrants.

Gary Palmer said he would serve no more than five terms in office.

In September 2021, the US Term Limits group accused Gary Palmer of refusing to cosponsor a term limits amendment, alleging that he had broken the pledge.

In March 2023, Gary Palmer officially announced his 2024 reelection campaign, saying that he "prayed for God to give me clarity on" his decision to run for a sixth term.

Gary Palmer was at the Capitol to certify the 2020 presidential election results on January 6,2021, when the attack on the Capitol took place.

In December 2020, Palmer was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign 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 defeated Trump.

When working in Washington, DC, Gary Palmer sleeps at his office on Capitol Hill.

Gary Palmer is a longtime member of Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham.