R. J. Palmer

{{Short description|American politician}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = R. J. Palmer

|image =

|office = Minority Leader of the Kentucky Senate

|term_start = January 4, 2011

|term_end = January 1, 2015

|predecessor= Ed Worley

|successor = Ray Jones II

|state_senate1 = Kentucky

|district1 = 28th

|term_start1 = September 19, 2001

|term_end1 = January 1, 2015

|predecessor1 = Dale Shrout

|successor1 = Ralph Alvarado

|state_house2= Kentucky

|district2 = 73rd

|term_start2 = January 1, 1999

|term_end2 = September 19, 2001

|predecessor2= Drew Graham

|successor2 = Don Pasley

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|12|25}}

|birth_place =

|death_date =

|death_place =

|nationality = American

|party = Democratic

|spouse =

|children =

|residence = Winchester, Kentucky

|alma_mater =

|profession =

|religion =

|website =

}}

Ralph Joe Palmer II (born December 25, 1970) is an American politician from the state of Kentucky. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the Kentucky State Senate from September 19, 2001, to January 1, 2015. Palmer was the minority leader of the Kentucky Senate from January 4, 2011, to January 1, 2015.

Palmer is from Winchester, Kentucky. He was first elected to the house in 1998 when incumbent representative Drew Graham retired to run for Judge/Executive of Clark County.{{cite news |date=November 4, 1998 |title=N Central Kentucky legislative races |work=The Lexington Herald-Leader |page=A10 |quote=The seat was vacated by Rep. Drew Graham, D-Winchester, who was elected Clark County judge-executive.}} He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from January 1, 1999, through September 19, 2001, and served in the Kentucky Senate from 2001 until he was defeated by challenger Ralph Alvarado and replaced in 2015.{{Cite web |url=http://articles.centralkynews.com/2011-01-04/winchestersun/27012748_1_palmer-legislative-session-democratic-floor-leader |title=R.J. Palmer to lead state Senate Democrats - schurz-centralkentuckynews |access-date=2013-10-16 |archive-date=2016-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304110057/http://articles.centralkynews.com/2011-01-04/winchestersun/27012748_1_palmer-legislative-session-democratic-floor-leader |url-status=dead }} His senate district included Bath, Bourbon, Clark, Harrison, Montgomery, Nicholas counties.