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U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer handily won renomination as the Republican candidate for Alabama’s House District 6 seat in voting Tuesday and will run in November against former Pelham City Councilman Maurice Mercer, who won the Democratic nomination.
In the U.S. House District 7 seat, Republican Ammie Akin was selected by voters to try to unseat U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, who was uncontested in the Democratic primary.
Tuesday’s special election came following a Supreme Court ruling this spring that allowed Alabama to change its congressional district map. Gov. Kay Ivey called for a special election to determine party nominees for four congressional districts — Districts 6 and 7, which cover the Birmingham area and stretch into the Black Belt; and Districts 1 and 2, which are in South Alabama.
Turnout was low for the special election, with just 5.24% of eligible voters going to the polls, or 113,493 people statewide.
In the southern primaries, former Rep. Jerry Carl won the Republican nomination to District 1 and in November will face Democratic nominee Clyde Jones, who had no opposition in the primary. Rhett Marques won the Republican nomination to the District 2 seat and will face incumbent Rep. Shomari Figures, who had no opposition in the Democratic primary.
Winners in Tuesday’s primaries will face their opponents in the Nov. 3 general election
Former Pelham City Councilman to Face Gary Palmer in District 6 Race
“We never have to worry about how he’s going to vote.”
This is how Shelby County GOP President Joan Reynolds introduced Palmer, who was the group’s special guest as the polls closed across Alabama’s 6th Congressional district Tuesday evening.
First elected to Congress in 2015, the Alabama Policy Institute co-founder seemingly had little to worry about. Just before 9 p.m., Palmer was declared the winner in the Republican primary, touting more than 80% of the vote in his race against Case Nixon.
“I didn’t go to Washington to be a celebrity,” Palmer told the Shelby County GOP group Tuesday.
Before results were in, Palmer gave a quick talk to the group, in which he spoke of what he felt was the need for a renewed sense of love for America.
“We need a new sense of patriotism, and it’s not going to start in Washington,” he said. “It has to start with us.”
Palmer said that during the campaign, he heard from many of his constituents about how inflation has impacted their lives and that better-paying jobs are needed. He said that the Republican majority in both the House and Senate have done a lot to save money and bring costs down.
“Despite what you have heard from the media, we’ve done a lot,” he said.
Just down the road at the Hit Different! BBQ and Grill on the Pelham/Alabaster line, Mercer and a small group of supporters watched the results roll in.
Mercer, a business account executive at Spectrum Business, took 64.17% of the vote to beat out Ashtyn Kennedy (21.35%), Keith Pilkington (7.26%) and Jacob Bouma-Sims (7.22%) to win the Democratic nomination for District 6, with the race being called just before 10 p.m.
Mercer’s political career began in 2012, when he was the first Black man elected to the Pelham City Council. He served on the council until 2025, the last four years as council president.
“Now is the time to unite and move forward,” Mercer said.
Mercer said that, with the rising cost of living and the war in Iran, he felt obligated to run for office, encouraged with the question of who else would.
“I said, ‘Who else is going to stand up to Gary Palmer,'” he said.
Mercer believes that there is an unprecedented opportunity for the historically red district.
“I believe it’s a purple district,” Mercer said. “With Democrats, we’re going to spend time rallying our base to flip this seat. It is a purple district.”
Kennedy watched returns come in Tuesday night on the patio of True Story Brewing Company in Birmingham’s Crestwood neighborhood. Kennedy said her campaign didn’t lack for effort.
“We had a lot of boots on the ground and actual true community outreach,” the Prattville resident said. “I really think that’s going to come through and show. Even if I don’t win, I have city meetings coming up where we are facing a major water infrastructure crisis. I will continue working, even if it means working for free as a citizen.
“But this was never about show ponying or self-promotion or growing my own profit,” Kennedy said. “I’ll just continue doing the work that I was doing before running. I look forward to taking on Palmer in 2028, if that’s if what it comes down to.”
Bouma-Sims congratulated Mercer in a Facebook post after the vote and said he looked forward to working with him to defeat Palmer in November.
Akin Wins Nomination to Run Against Terri Sewell in District 7
Akin was successful in her first bid for public office, beating David Perry of Selma for the Republican nomination to face eight-term Democratic incumbent Terri Sewell in November in a showdown for the District 7 seat.
Akin got 73.37% of votes cast in the race to Perry’s 26.62%.
She said in a statement Tuesday night that she looked forward “to sharing a new vision for our district in Congress.”
“For far too long, the people of this district have lacked proactive representation they deserve in Washington, D.C.,” Akin said in a written statement she provided to 1819 News.
“Dwight D. Eisenhower’s wisdom holds true tonight. ‘The world moves, and ideas that were once good are not always good. Congresswoman Sewell has been in office for over 15 years, and during that time we have seen our industries, agriculture, and many of our communities struggle,” she continued. “The people of the 7th District deserve a representative who is innovative, forward-thinking, and courageous in keeping America’s values at the forefront of this district. I will campaign tirelessly to earn the trust of every voter, and when elected, I will make sure Alabama’s 7th Congressional District is never taken for granted.”
Perry, of Selma, said the special election race came down to resources.
“What transpired is she had $138,000 and I had $4,500,” he said. “It’s one of those things with David and Goliath, money versus the message. Money’s going to always outlast the message.” The challenger from Selma said he expects he’ll run again “if God says so. But I’ll continue to work for the people of the Black Belt to try to help bring change, but it’s gonna be hard.”
