Congressman Gary Palmer announced that he will run for re-election in 2024. Palmer had originally pledged to serve no more than five terms (10 years) when he first ran for Congress in 2014.
“I own that. I said I would serve only five terms,” Palmer told approximately 60 members of the Mid-Alabama Republican Club gathered at the Vestavia Hills Public Library on Saturday morning.
Palmer explained that he made that term limits pledge without having first asking God about it.
“I didn’t pray about it,” Palmer said. “I was on stage. Another candidate made a pledge,” said Palmer, and at that time followed that GOP candidate’s lead. “Sometimes you get ahead of God.”
Palmer said that the decision to break the pledge was not an easy decision for him.
“It has been an emotional thing for me,” Palmer said.
Palmer said that he had planned to honor the pledge, stated, “Everything changed. I did not decide to run again until a week ago from Wednesday.”
At a Bible study in Congress, Palmer and the Congresswoman who led the study discussed the matter after a recent Bible study meeting.
“We prayed for God to give me clarity on it,” Palmer said.
“I need to change my mind, so I am going to run again,” Palmer said. “God still has a plan for me. I need to change my mind, so I am going to run again. I know I am going to have detractors. I know people are going to question. I would rather not have it.”
Palmer explained that in his ten years in Congress, he has gained position and influence with the GOP Caucus and even with world leaders.
“I am the highest-ranking Republican in Congress in the history of Alabama,” Palmer said. “I am not the third most senior Republican,” in the House, he said.
“Mike Rogers chairs the Armed Service Committee, and Robert Aderholt chairs a subcommittee on Appropriations,” Palmer explained that three of them working together can do things to help Alabama.
“We all have a mission,” Palmer concluded. “I don’t think my mission is complete.”
This represents a hard break for Palmer.
On Thursday, June 19, 2014, during the Alabama’s Republican Sixth Congressional District Candidates debate, Palmer said that political office should not be a job. He also said that he is committed to not move to Washington. “Congressmen that do, they become part of the Washington culture,” Palmer said.
Palmer defeated then-State Rep. Paul DeMarco. DeMarco had pledged to support a term limits amendment but would not term limit himself if the amendment does not pass.
Palmer even went so far as to sign a pledge to support the term limits constitutional amendment not to run for a sixth term with U.S. Term Limits.
In 2021, the group accused Palmer of breaking his pledge to cosponsor term limits legislation. The group even retaliated by putting up two billboards in Palmer’s district accusing Palmer of breaking his pledge to them. Now Palmer has gone a step further by not only not cosponsoring their term limits amendment legislation; but also by refusing to honor his personal pledge not to run for a sixth term.
Nicolas Tomboulides is the Executive Director of U.S. Term Limits.
“Once upon a time, Gary Palmer kept his word to the people of Alabama by honoring his U.S. term limits pledge,” said Tomboulides in September 2021. “But now, after spending 7 years in the corrupt swamp of D.C., Palmer has abandoned his pledge and changed his position on the U.S. term limits amendment to match that of Pelosi and Schumer. Palmer’s unprincipled flip-flopping is a prime example of why so many Americans favor term limits in the first place.”
“Gary Palmer once said that congressmen who stay too long become part of the Washington culture,” concluded Tomboulides. “We agree, which is why we are encouraging Palmer to apologize to his constituents and keep his word.”
This version of events is disputed by Palmer.
Palmer’s Communications Director, Kris Cook, said this is incorrect. “Rep. Palmer did, in fact, cosponsor the term limit legislation in the 117th Congress, and he has co-sponsored the bill in every Congress, including the current Congress,” Cook stated.
“At no point did this U.S. Term Limit pledge to vote for term limits include a pledge to term limit himself,” Cook added. “You can read the pledge he has signed each Congress here. It is simply a pledge to support and vote for term-limit legislation. Rep. Palmer has not signed a pledge term limiting himself.”
Palmer does, however, acknowledge that he did promise the people of Alabama that he would limit his tenure in Congress to no more than five terms.
“I own that,” Palmer said on Saturday. “I said I would serve only five terms.”
Gary Palmer represents Alabama’s Sixth Congressional District. Prior to running for Congress, Palmer was the cofounder and President of the influential Alabama Policy Institute. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama and a native of Hackleburg. He and his wife live in Hoover.
***This article was updated on Sunday to include comments from Palmer’s office clarifying Palmer’s position and his dispute with U.S. Term Limits.****
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