Businessman Gerrick Wilkins, who survived a challenge to his spot on the Republican party ballot, is calling for Congressman Gary Palmer of Hoover to debate in the race for the GOP nomination in the 6th District.

Wilkins, 46, a first-time candidate whose career has been in the automobile business, said he decided to run after Palmer broke a promise to limit himself to five terms.

The state Republican Party received a challenge to Wilkins’ place on the ballot. But Wilkins said the party’s steering committee rejected the challenge without proceeding to a full hearing.

“From what I understand — I have not seen it, ALGOP keeps those sealed unless they go to a formal hearing — it looks like someone decided to challenge my candidacy on the Republican ballot and they used the pretext of a small donation I made to the Libertarian Party,” Wilkins said. “(Federal Election Commission) records show it was a $250 donation. And I’ve given tens of thousands to the GOP and GOP candidates. I’ve been a loyal member of the party since I was 18 years old.”

“To me it seemed like a pretext for a supporter of my opponent who seemed more concern about eliminating competition,” Wilkins said.

State Republican Party Chair John Wahl declined comment, saying the party has a longstanding policy of not speaking publicly about ballot challenges.

Wilkins, who lives in Vestavia Hills, and Ken McFeeters of Hoover, who owns an insurance company, have qualified to face Palmer in the March 5 primary.

Palmer was elected in 2014 and has acknowledged that he broke his promise to serve no more than five terms when he decided to run for a sixth.

“I own that. I said I would serve only five terms,” Palmer said at a meeting of the Mid-Alabama Republican Club in Vestavia Hills back in March, Alabama Today reported. Palmer said he changed his mind after seeking clarity through prayer.

“I think if someone says they’re going to do something, they need to do it,” Wilkins said. “And I thought it was unfortunate he used religious views to justify that response.”

Wilkins grew up in New Mexico. He has a bachelor’s degree from Liberty University and an MBA from Samford University. He has been married since 1999 and has a daughter who attends the University of Alabama at Huntsville. He has lived in Alabama since 2006.

Wilkins said he managed car dealerships for 20 years. For the last five years, he has worked on mergers and acquisitions of car dealerships.

FEC records show Wilkins gave $250 to the Libertarian National Committee in September 2022. Asked why he gave to the Libertarian Party, Wilkins said he shared the Libertarian Party’s support for limited government. But he said he has always supported Republican candidates.

FEC records show contributions to Republican presidential candidates Fred Thompson in 2007 and John McCain in 2008, as well as Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott, and Donald Trump this year. Wilkins gave $10,000 to the Alabama Republican Party in February.

“We won the challenge,” Wilkins said. “There’s no hearing. The steering committee decided they weren’t going to hear it. There was no basis for it. “

“So at this point, I just want to get this behind us so we can focus on the issues that are important to Alabama voters,” Wilkins said.

Border security is a top priority for Wilkins. He opposes sending money to Ukraine for its war effort and says those dollars should go to infrastructure projects at home. He mentions two on his campaign website, Interstate 65 and U.S. 280.

“We’ve got to secure the border,” Wilkins said. “It’s a huge issue. So that has to be a priority. I think it’s time for us to stop funding Ukraine. We’ve got to put America first and not Ukraine first. So, I think that’s going to be an issue. We need to focus on an Alabama-first business infrastructure plan.”

Wilkins blames runaway spending by Congress for causing inflation and the national debt.

“Our country needs business leaders, not career politicians, to address our inflation issues, to address our growing national debt of almost $34 trillion and really get us back on track,” Wilkins said.

Wilkins said his book, “Unshackling Democracy: Empowering Term Limits, Empowering Citizens,” is scheduled for publication in December.

The 6th District changed on the new map approved by a three-judge federal court in October. The district lost Blount County and part of Jefferson County on the north end and picked up Coosa, Autauga, and Elmore on the south end.

Wilkins said the change increases the need for a debate.

“I think it would great for the community to have a debate so they can hear the ideas from the candidates,” Wilkins said. “I think that’s even more critical because so much of this district is new. And there’s a lot of people in the southern part of the district that aren’t familiar with Palmer and myself. So, we definitely want to have a debate so everyone can know where we stand on the issues.

“Just like a job interview, the voters need to have the opportunity to hear from the candidates and understand who is going to best represent their interests in Congress.”

Palmer’s office did not respond to a request for comments for this story.