Palmer wins Republican primary for Alabama's 6th Congressional District

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U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Hoover, on Tuesday won the Republican primary for Alabama’s Sixth Congressional District over two challengers, according to unofficial results posted on the Alabama secretary of state’s website.

With all counties reporting results, Palmer captured 83% of the vote Tuesday with 76,063 votes, compared to 9,636 votes (11%) for Gerrick Wilkins of Vestavia Hills and 5,668 votes for Ken McFeeters of north Shelby County.

Palmer now will face Democrat Elizabeth Anderson in the Nov. 5 general election.

Palmer, who is seeking his sixth two-year term, said in a written statement released Wednesday that he is honored to be the Republican nominee for the Sixth Congressional District again.

"The results last night represent that voters in our district believe that proven conservative leadership is what is needed for Alabama," Palmer said. "Now that the primary and Super Tuesday are behind us, I will be focused on supporting other Republicans in their races so we can give President Trump a Republican majority when he is back in the White House. Thank you to the voters for their confidence in our vision and to those who supported our campaign. I am looking forward to getting back to work for you!"

Wilkins, speaking to supporters at The Club in Birmingham Tuesday night, said it’s hard to beat an entrenched incumbent who spent more than $1 million on this campaign. Wilkins said he spent only about $300,000, and most of that came from himself and his wife.

“It’s an uphill battle, but it’s a battle I would do again because I think it’s important for us to have these conversations,” Wilkins said. “I will continue advocating for our conservative principles. I will continue advocating for term limits. I really do think that this is critical.”

There is no incumbent for Alabama’s Second Congressional District, and there were 19 candidates seeking that seat. “I think that’s great for a republic, and I think that’s great for the democratic process,” Wilkins said.

Now it’s important for Republicans to unite, he said.

“We have a leftist agenda that is continuing to push our country in the wrong direction,” Wilkins said. “We need to do everything we can to make sure we can get Biden out of that White House and to get President Trump re-elected. We need to push to get a larger majority in the House and take back the Senate.”

Wilkins also said it’s important to get the next generation involved in civic affairs and to pray for all elected leaders, including Palmer.

“Together, we can strive to secure a future that reflects our values and our aspirations,” he said.

McFeeters said he always expected Palmer to win the Republican primary, though maybe by not quite as much as he did.

“I didn’t run to win,” he said. He ran against Palmer to gain some attention for issues he feels strongly about, such as mandated vaccinations for children, doctors not being allowed to treat patients the way they believe is best and his belief that the Federal Reserve banking system is a bad idea.

“We’ve got seven Congress members in Alabama, and not one of them is talking about the Federal Reserve printing its own money and buying America with it,” McFeeters said. “I don’t understand that.”

McFeeters said he self-funded his campaign with $25,000 and believes he did pretty good for spending that small amount of money. “You can’t win against a 10-year incumbent with $25,000,” he said.

But he’s glad he got into the race and got to meet some fantastic people during his campaign, he said.

The Sixth Congressional District includes Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, Trussville, Clay, parts of Homewood and Hoover, the northeastern part of Jefferson County, a small part of Talladega County and all of Shelby, Bibb, Chilton, Coosa, Autauga and Elmore counties. 

Editor's note: This story was updated on March 6 after Congressman Palmer released a written statement.