Palmer declared his candidacy for the 6th district following the retirement announcement of 11-term incumbentSpencer Bachus. In the Republican primary election—the real contest in this heavily Republican district—Palmer finished second behind state representative Paul DeMarco. In the ensuing runoff election, Palmer picked up the support of the Club for Growth. Palmer won the runoff election by a margin of 64% to 36%. In the November 4, 2014 general election, Palmer defeated Democratic nominee Mark Lester, a history professor at Birmingham-Southern College, 76% to 24%. However, he had effectively clinched a seat in Congress with his primary victory. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+28, the 6th was tied with the neighboring 4th as the most Republican district in Alabama. Since it assumed its current configuration as a mostly suburban district in 1992, a Democrat has only crossed the 30 percent mark once.
Tenure
Palmer took office on January 3, 2015, along with the other freshmen members of the 114th Congress. Conservative Review has graded Palmer's voting record an A with a Liberty Score of 100%. Palmer is one of only three Republican representatives to receive this highest possible grade out of 247 Republicans in the House of Representatives. Palmer was elected Chair of the House Republican Policy Committee for the 116th Congress
As of 2018, Palmer has a rating of seven percent from the ACLU for his pro-civil rights voting record.
Black Lives Matter
Palmer supports peaceful protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. He has expressed that he is "outraged over these deaths & pray justice will be swift, with urgency to address underlying issues of distrust & suspicion that divide us."
LGBTQI
Palmer has a score of 0 out of 100 for his anti-LGTBQI voting record from the Human Rights Campaign. Palmer supports bathroom bills. He stated that allowing transgender people to use the bathroom of their choice is something "no reasonable person" would allow and said that "the safety implications for sexual predation have been well documented." He also opposes same-sex marriage stating that "No one can change the fundamental nature of what marriage is: the union of a man and a woman and the formation of a family which is the foundation of every civilization."
Voting rights
Palmer supports efforts requiring photo identification to be required in order to vote.
During the COVID-19 crisis, Palmer opposed proxy voting while Congress was unable to work onsite at the Capitol due to shelter-in-place orders. Palmer opposed Planned Parenthood affiliates from receiving funding from the Paycheck Protection Act.
Drugs
Palmer voted to support medical marijuana research but is opposed to legalizing marijuana.
Government reform
Palmer supports state's rights to oversee government programs.
Elections
He supports full transparency regarding campaign contributions. Palmer supports term limits, specifically six years for congresspeople and twelve years for senators.
Gun law
Palmer is a supporter of gun rights. He opposes gun restrictions and efforts to repeal what he deems unconstitutional gun restrictions. He supports efforts that enable legal gun owners to carry their guns, including concealed carry, over state lines.
Health care
Palmer opposes the Affordable Care Act calling it "a nightmare" and that it is "job killing." He supports efforts to repeal it.
Homeland security
Palmer is pro-nuclear weapons. He supports increasing funding for the Defense Department specifically around work in the Middle East.
Palmer voted in support of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. He says that the tax plan would "put more money in the pockets of the American people" and "launch economic growth." He blamed the Obama administration and a "burdensome tax code that was designed for a 1986 economy," for an "anemic" economy.
