1996Final results
1996 election for Texas's 27th District
U.S. House · Texas
Solomon Ortiz (D) won with 64.6% of the vote, defeating Joe Gardner (R) by 30.8 points.
Solomon OrtizDemocrat · winner
64.6%97,350
Joe GardnerRepublican
33.8%50,964
Kevin G. RichardsonNatural Law
1.5%2,286
150,600 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.
Solomon OrtizJoe Gardner
$405.7K
Raised by the campaign
$97.1K
$411.8K
Spent by the campaign
$96.9K
$34.3K
Cash on hand
$218
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996