Longtime U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer faces first-time candidate in August special primary

Republican voters in central Alabama will choose between a 12-year incumbent congressman and a 26-year-old physical therapist assistant in an August special primary.

U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Hoover, who is seeking his seventh term in the U.S. House, faces Case Dixon in Alabama’s 6th Congressional District – which covers the eastern part of Jefferson County, a portion of southern Talladega county, northern Elmore county and all of Shelby, Bibb, Chilton and Autauga counties.

The winner of the primary will face the winner of the Democratic special primary, in which voters will have the choice between Jacob Bouma-Sims, Ashtyn Kennedy, Maurice Mercer and Keith Pilkington.

Following a special session of the Legislature, Gov. Kay Ivey in May called a special primary election for the district, along with Alabama’s 1st, 2nd and 7th Congressional Districts, after a U.S. Supreme Court order allowed the state to use a 2023 Legislature-passed congressioal map, instead of a court-ordered one. The 2023 map was previously struck down as racially discriminatory, and the court-ordered map, used in 2024, led to the election of two Black representatives – a first in the state’s history.

Palmer and Dixon were the only candidates in the May primary, which Palmer won before the roughly 76,000 ballots cast in the race were voided due to the special election.

More than a dozen attempts were made to interview Palmer, including via email, since July 14. As of Tuesday afternoon, Palmer’s campaign had not responded to questions. 

The candidates 

Dixon, 26, said in a recent phone interview that he is running for Congress to get involved and make a difference for the future. 

“I didn’t want to be sitting on the sidelines, and our kids ask(ing) us or me why didn’t you strive to make things better for our lives, and so that’s really kind of what ultimately culminated,” Dixon said. 

In the May primary, Palmer got 81% of the votes. Dixon said his job was not finished and could not pass up an opportunity where there would only be one race on a Republican ballot.

“I said, ‘God, give me a sign.’ And God said, ‘I’ve given you a special primary to run against an incumbent. How often does this ever happen?’” Dixon said. “I think, as with any candidate, you hope for an informed electorate. I’m hoping that, given the fact there’s less names on the ballot, that we might have a more informed electorate, people might be more likely to research both candidates.”

If elected, Dixon said his top priority is to address affordability and lower the cost of living by reducing federal spending. He accused Palmer of making everyday expenses worse through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a large tax cut package passed by Congress last summer, because there were no spending cuts included.

“The federal government’s got to bring down their spending because if they don’t, and we keep adding to the national debt and the deficit, then me, our kids, my kids are going to be paying for that through either inflation or higher taxes at a future date,” he said.

Palmer, 72, did not respond to a message seeking response to Dixon’s accusation. According to Palmer’s website, the six-term lawmaker believes “tackling the national debt means repealing failed policies, controlling spending, and putting the country on a more sustainable financial path.”

Dixon also wants to put America first and stop being “the world’s piggy bank.” 

“We’ve got so many issues facing Americans right here at home … We don’t have money to go around for other various pet projects and to go to foreign aid and things like that,” Dixon said. “I also see nonpartisan, common sense issues such as truly pushing for term limits, a ban on congressional stock trading.”

Palmer in 2014 signed a pledge with the non-partisan advocacy group U.S. Term Limits that he would co-sponsor legislation limiting members of the House to three terms and members of the Senate to two terms. He did not sign a pledge limiting himself to three terms, but said he’d serve five.

Dixon accused Palmer of breaking his term limit promise.

“He said he was only going to serve 10 years in Congress, and that was 12 years ago. And now he’s running for 14, so he’s not a believer in term limits,” Dixon said.

Palmer’s campaign did not respond to a request seeking comment on Dixon’s accusation. According to 2023 reporting by AL.com, Palmer said God gave him permission to run for reelection in 2024. 

Palmer co-founded the Alabama Policy Institute, a conservative think tank, and served as its president for 24 years before being elected to Congress in 2014. Recently, Palmer has supported the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act and a bill prohibiting transgender women from being members of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Campaign fundraising

As of the most recent campaign finance data from the Federal Election Commission, Dixon has raised about $25,000 and spent about $24,000 through June 30. About 60% of Dixon’s contributions came from individuals, with the other 40% coming from himself, according to FEC data. 

Palmer has raised more than $1 million and spent about $900,000 through June 30. About 52% of his contributions came from individuals, with the other half coming from political action committees (PACs), according to FEC data.

How to vote

Republican voters in Alabama’s 6th Congressional District can choose between Dixon and Palmer for the Republican nomination on Aug 11. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Polling locations can be found here. The winner will face the winner of the Democratic special primary in the general election.