Incumbent Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) debated his 2024 GOP primary rivals, Gerrick Wilkins and Ken McFeeters, at an event on Saturday organized by the Mid-Alabama Republican Club.
Heritage Action gives Gary Palmer a lifetime score of 89% – ten points higher than the average House Republican – in the most conservative House GOP Caucus in this century. However, Wilkins and McFeeters both attacked the incumbent as not being conservative enough.
Justin Barkley moderated Saturday’s debate and asked questions on a variety of topics.
“Faith is very important to me,” Wilkins said. “I studied theology and considered going into ministry. I am very involved in church ministry.”
“I don’t think Congress is doing a very good job,” he said. “$34 trillion in debt is a $260,000 second mortgage for every American.”
Wilkins attacked Palmer for breaking his 2014 pledge not to run for more than five terms.
“Last March, he broke his promise,” Wilkins said of Palmer. “Term limits are more than words to me.”
Palmer was eager to respond.
“I have been in the fulltime workforce for over 53 years,” Palmer said. “I worked with Dr. James Dobson and the Focus on the Family on founding the Alabama Family Alliance, which became the Alabama Policy Institute. I went a full year without getting paid because that is what I thought God wanted me to do.”
Palmer said that he’s “working 14 plus hour days” on behalf of the people of Alabama’s 6th Congressional District and that he personally reads and edits every letter that his office sends out.
“I am part of President Trump’s advisory team and he is supporting my reelection” Palmer said.
RELATED: WSJ: Gary Palmer influential in Trump’s energy policy plans for next administration
Palmer said that as Congressman he is working on building the Northern Beltway in Jefferson County and widening I-65.
“I was able to get $369 million for the Northern Beltline. We have five years to spend it.”
Wilkins said that if he is elected to Congress that he would make widening I-65 a priority.
“We have got to prioritize that (I-65),” Wilkins said. “I think that’s even more important than the northern beltline.”
“We are the sixth most conservative district in the nation and we need to act like it,” McFeeters said.
McFeeters continually seemed to suggest seizing the assets of the Federal Reserve.
“We could use that to replenish social security and do real infrastructure,” McFeeters said.
“I am very concerned about the divisions in our own party that could cost us the White House and the majority in the House and the Senate,” Palmer said. “One of the areas I have been advising President Trump on is on critical minerals.”
Wilkins attacked Palmer for voting for Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-California).
“Everyone was not happy with Speaker McCarthy,” Wilkins said. “Speaker Johnson has not been there for very long; but I was not happy with his deal this week on the budget.”
“Members of Congress need to stop siding with Democrats to pass legislation,” Wilkins said. “We need a more unified party.’
“I think Mike Johnson should be re-elected,” Palmer said. “Mike Johnson is a Godly man
McFeeters defended Russian President Vladimir Putin. “He is not the expansionist NATO and the EU are,” he said.
“The debt is a greater threat.” Wilkins insisted. “We have got to prioritize America first. More money to the Ukraine is unacceptable. Ukraine is not where America’s interest lie.”
“We should support Israel,” Wilkins said. “We should not tie Ukraine to the border. We need to prioritize America first and not Ukraine first.”
RELATED: Wilkins op-ed: ‘Alabama deserves a Representative that prioritizes Alabama over Argentina’
“The single greatest threat is China,” Palmer said, “I am very concerned about China. The unemployment for 16- to 25-year-olds in China is over 20 percent. When nations have really high unemployment for young men they go to war. Over 80 percent of the semiconductors our nations uses are made in Taiwan. If China attacks those facilities will be destroyed.”
Palmer blamed the Biden administration for the crisis on the southern border with Mexico.
“That is the responsibility of the executive branch,” Palmer said. “I have made multiple trips to the border. (Congressman) Jim Joran and I were at the border last week. We are introducing legislation to allow states to use the National Guard to secure their border. We have to get Biden out of office.”
“I voted against the last two supplemental bills to support Ukraine,” Palmer said.
“We need to send the military down to the border to shut down the cartels,” Wilkins said. “Congress is not doing what they are supposed to be doing. Congress can do something about it if we put action over words.”
“Striking the cartels – that’s whack a mole – you strike down six of them and six more rise up to take their place,” Palmer said.
Palmer warned that the environmentalists war on natural gas could have devastating consequences.
“The federal government should not be involved in education,” Wilkins said. “We need to return those dollars back to the state.”
“We have got to have more parental involvement and promote school choice,” Wilkins said.
“All they are focused on is indoctrination,” Wilkins said of the public schools. “We need less government involvement and more parental involvement.”
“This is one area where we all agree,” Palmer said. “There shouldn’t be a Department of Education. The Alabama Family Alliance, which became the Alabama Policy Institute, wrote the very first school choice bill (introduced in the Alabama Legislature).”
“It was a struggle,” Rep. Palmer said of his decision to run for a sixth term. “There are people in this room who asked me to run again.”
“I feel like the job is not done,” Palmer said. “We have a two year window to turn this country around, I believe that God wanted me to do this. I own this.”
RELATED: Gary Palmer warns illegal immigration could hijack U.S. elections
McFeeters said that he favors eliminate some of these (federal intelligence) agencies or limiting their funding. “Congress created this problem. Congress can fix this problem.”
“The intelligence agencies have become agents of the Democratic Party,” Rep. Palmer said. “I think the people in the field are good people; but the people at the top need to go. We need these organization to protect the country; but we don’t need them working against the best interests of the country.”
Palmer was attacked by a member of the audience for his vote for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
“Our military is unbelievably behind China in weapons. They have an advantage in fourth generation fighters, the number of ships, and hypersonics. My first responsibility is defending the country. I knew this was going to hurt me politically; but I am going to do what is right. This NDAA includes a 5% raise for our military and a housing allowance for our servicemembers.”
Wilkins said that he would have supported the original bill that passed the House.
“The renewal of FISA is a huge issue for me,” Wilkins said. “I absolutely would not have voted for that bill. I would have voted to go back to the original bill in August instead of giving Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi exactly what they wanted.”
“You can’t get everything you want on one bill,” Palmer explained.
“This new district is huge we are eight counties now,” Wilkins said. “Almost 38% of the district is new with these crazy new maps that are out there.”
“I make myself available,” Palmer said. “I am not going to be an absentee representative.”
“I am who I am,” Palmer continued. “I am still the same guy I was ten years ago. I am not going to give up the fight.”
The Republican primary is March 5, 2024. The eventual Republican nominee will have to face a Democratic nominee in the November 5, 2024 general election.
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