Yellowhammer News just heard in the hallway that former state representative Paul DeMarco might file qualifying papers today to challenge Birmingham-area congressman Gary Palmer in the GOP primary.

The move would be strange since Palmer is very popular in his district and considered a strong conservative voice in Washington.

The details:

— Palmer has held the seat since 2014 and has been one of the most consistent and conservative voices in Congress.

— Conservative Review gave Palmer a 100% rating on the site’s Liberty Score for voting in support of conservative issues, making him one of the few congressmen who received such a rating.

— In the 2014 Republican Primary to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus, Palmer finished second behind DeMarco, but went on the crush the state representative in the runoff, 64% to 36%.

— Palmer then defeated the Democrat nominee later that year, 76% to 24%.

— DeMarco, a lawyer from Homewood, was a Republican member of the Alabama House of Representatives from 2005-2014.

— Today is the last day candidates can file to run in the primary.

— The GOP primary will be held June 5.

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