1996Final resultsSpecial election
1996 special election for Texas's 7th District
U.S. House · Texas
Bill Archer (R) won with 81.4% of the vote, defeating Al J. K. Siegmund (D) by 66.3 points.
Bill ArcherRepublican · winner
81.4%152,024
Al J. K. SiegmundDemocrat
15.1%28,187
Gene HsiaoIndependent
2.1%3,896
Robert R. "randy" Sims Jr.Independent
1.5%2,724
186,831 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1996
Races before and after
Source: Past results: 99chambers results archive (MEDSL, Klarner, state election offices)
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
No DemocratBill Archer
—
Raised by the campaign
$186.5K
—
Spent by the campaign
$279K
—
Cash on hand
$647.3K
Other candidates' campaigns: Gene Hsiao $900.
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996
The candidates
Bill Archer (R)Al J. K. Siegmund (D)
Also on the ballot: Gene Hsiao (Independent), 2.1%; Robert R. "randy" Sims Jr. (Independent), 1.5%