1996Final results
1996 election for Texas's 1st District
U.S. House · Texas
Max Sandlin (D) won with 51.6% of the vote, defeating Ed Merritt (R) by 4.8 points.
Max SandlinDemocrat · winner
51.6%102,697
Ed MerrittRepublican
46.7%93,105
Margaret A. PalmsNatural Law
1.7%3,368
199,170 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.
Max SandlinEd Merritt
$1.7M
Raised by the campaign
$467.8K
$1.7M
Spent by the campaign
$467.8K
$1.4K
Cash on hand
$25
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996