1996Final results
1996 election for Oregon's 1st District
U.S. House · Oregon
Elizabeth Furse (D) won with 51.9% of the vote, defeating Bill Witt (R) by 6.6 points.
Elizabeth FurseDemocrat · winner
51.9%144,588
Bill WittRepublican
45.3%126,146
Richard JohnsonLibertarian
2.3%6,310
David PrincSocialist
0.4%1,146
278,604 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: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Elizabeth FurseBill Witt
$1.4M
Raised by the campaign
$885.3K
$1.4M
Spent by the campaign
$880.9K
$6.4K
Cash on hand
$5.3K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996
The candidates
Elizabeth Furse (D)Bill Witt (R)
Also on the ballot: Richard Johnson (Libertarian), 2.3%; David Princ (Socialist), 0.4%