Gary Palmer

Gary
Palmer

Gary Palmer

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Quick Summary

He has represented Alabama's 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House since 2015 and is seeking a seventh term.
He served as Chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee from 2019 to 2025 and sits on the Energy and Commerce Committee, where he chairs the Subcommittee on Environment.
He is running for re-election in 2026 against Democrat Maurice Mercer in a district rated strongly Republican.

This page uses public sources and stays neutral. You can check details in the links below.

Last updated: Sep 19, 2026

Party: Republican

Overview

Gary Palmer grew up on a small farm in Hackleburg, Alabama, and was the first in his family to graduate college, earning a degree in operations management from the University of Alabama. He spent 12 years in the engineering and construction industry before co-founding what became the Alabama Policy Institute, a conservative think tank, where he served as president for 24 years. He was elected to represent Alabama's 6th Congressional District, which covers much of Birmingham's suburbs, in 2014 and took office in 2015. In Congress, he has focused on reducing federal spending, rolling back regulations, energy policy, and changes to health-care markets. Supporters describe him as a consistent fiscal and social conservative voice for the district. Critics argue some of his positions, including votes against federal spending measures, have not stopped him from highlighting the local benefits of programs he voted against.

What He Did

Short version: key actions and tradeoffs that may matter to your vote.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law vote

Action:
Palmer voted against the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684) on November 5, 2021, when it passed the House 228-206. He was later reported to have highlighted a provision benefiting his district after the law passed.

Why it matters:
The law funds roads, bridges, water systems, and broadband expansion nationwide. Voting against a bill while later touting benefits it delivers locally is a pattern some voters may want to weigh when judging consistency between a vote and its stated reasons.

Gary Palmer's position: He voted against the bill, citing concerns about its overall cost and scope, but later noted a funding provision that benefited his district.

Supporters say: A member can oppose a bill's overall cost while still working to secure benefits for constituents once it becomes law.

Critics say: Voting against a bill and later touting its local benefits can appear inconsistent to voters.
View House roll call vote | View reporting on the provision
Inflation Reduction Act vote

Action:
Palmer voted against the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (H.R. 5376) on August 12, 2022, when it passed the House 220-207 with no Republican votes in favor.

Why it matters:
The law changed rules on prescription drug pricing, health-insurance subsidies, energy-project tax credits, and corporate taxes. Opponents said it expanded federal spending and government involvement in drug pricing and energy markets. Supporters said it could lower some prescription and health-insurance costs. In 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act rolled back some of the law's clean-energy tax credits.

Gary Palmer's position: He voted against the law, citing concerns about federal spending and government intervention in health-care and energy markets.

Supporters say: Opposing the law reflected concern about rising federal spending and government control over drug pricing and energy markets.

Critics say: The law's health-care and clean-energy provisions helped some families with costs, and opposing it may have limited those benefits for the district.
View House roll call vote
Republican review of the January 6 Select Committee

Action:
As a senior member of the House Administration Committee's Subcommittee on Oversight, Palmer supported a 2024 Republican-led report reviewing the work of the Democratic-led House Select Committee that investigated the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

Why it matters:
The report argued the original committee was overly partisan, failed to preserve some records, and did not fully investigate Capitol security failures. Independent fact-checkers have said some of the report's more sweeping claims, such as "destroyed evidence," were exaggerated, since most committee materials remain publicly available.

Gary Palmer's position: He supported the Republican subcommittee's findings that the original investigation lacked balance and transparency.

Supporters say: A second, more critical review provides oversight of how the original investigation was conducted and what evidence may be missing.

Critics say: The review was itself a partisan effort, and some of its central claims about missing evidence have been disputed by fact-checkers.
View subcommittee report | View independent fact-checking
Energy and environmental regulation

Action:
As Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment, Palmer has supported multiple resolutions disapproving EPA and Department of Energy rules on vehicle emissions and appliance efficiency standards.

Why it matters:
Blocking these rules can affect vehicle and appliance costs, manufacturing requirements, and the pace of emissions reductions. Supporters say fewer federal mandates lower costs for consumers and businesses; critics say blocking the rules can slow progress on energy efficiency and pollution reduction.

Gary Palmer's position: He supports rolling back federal environmental and energy-efficiency mandates that he views as costly or overly broad.

Supporters say: Reducing these regulations lowers compliance costs for manufacturers and consumers.

Critics say: Blocking environmental and efficiency rules can reduce progress on pollution reduction and long-term energy savings.
View sponsored legislation

Experience

U.S. Representative, Alabama's 6th Congressional District (2015-present) (source)
Chairman, House Republican Policy Committee (2019-2025) (source)
Chairman, Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment (119th Congress); member, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee (source)
President, Alabama Policy Institute (24 years) (source)
12 years in the engineering and construction industry before entering public policy work (source)
B.S., Operations Management, University of Alabama (source)

Things to Think About

How should voters weigh a member voting against a spending bill but later highlighting benefits it brought to the district?
What is the right balance between federal environmental regulation and reducing compliance costs for businesses and consumers?
How much weight should you give to a follow-up, party-led review of an earlier congressional investigation?

Sources

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