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By MACKENZEE SIMMS | Staff Writer

Incumbent Gary Palmer won the Republican Primary election for the U.S. House of Representatives for Alabama’s 6th Congressional District on Tuesday, March 5. He will face the uncontested winner of the Democratic Primary, Elizabeth Anderson, in the General Election.

Palmer faced off against candidates Gerrik Wilkins and Ken McFeeters for the Alabama 6th Congressional District, composed of Autauga, Bibb, Chilton, Coosa, Elmore and Shelby counties as well as portions of Talladega and Jefferson county. The 6th District represents 4,649 square miles of Alabama.

As of Wednesday, March 6 at 10:30 a.m., Palmer leads the election with 76,063 votes, representing 83.25 percent of voters. Wilkins has 9,636 votes for 10.55 percent, with McFeeters winning 5,668 votes for 6.20 percent.

In Shelby County, Palmer has secured 24,670 of the 29,652 votes, totaling 83.2 percent.

Although these votes are not finalized yet, Palmer has been declared the victor of the primary by the Alabama Republican Party.

A Northwest Alabama native, Palmer played football for the University of Alabama before working for 12 years in the business world. Eventually, Palmer founded the Alabama Family Alliance which would later become the Alabama Policy Institute, where Palmer would serve as the president for 24 years.

After serving on four different state commissions under three different governors, Palmer was elected to Congress in 2014. Since first taking office, Palmer has served five terms for a total of 10 years in office. A victory against Democratic candidate Elizabeth Anderson in the General Election would grant him a sixth term.

According to his website, Palmer has prioritized issues such as reducing the national debt, spurring economic growth and replacing Obamacare. In addition, Palmer is the current chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee.

Palmer’s personal message leading into this election read:

“I have resisted the call to simply pass legislation. Instead, I am focused on legislation designed to shrink, not grow government.”

 

The breakdowns of each county are as follows:

Autauga- Palmer 6,309 votes, Wilkins 1,156 votes, McFeeters 649 votes

Bibb- Palmer 2,518 votes, Wilkins 257 votes, McFeeters 132 votes

Chilton- Palmer 6,489 votes, Wilkins 809 votes, McFeeters 267 votes

Coosa- Palmer 1,659 votes, Wilkins 164 votes, McFeeters 110 votes

Elmore- Palmer 9,986 votes, Wilkins 1,419 votes, McFeeters 866 votes

Jefferson- Palmer 24,138 votes, Wilkins 2,832 votes, McFeeters 1,625 votes

Shelby-Palmer 24,670 votes, Wilkins 2,987 votes, McFeeters 1,995 votes

Talladega-Palmer 294 votes, Wilkins 12 votes, McFeeters 24 votes