1996Final results
1996 election for U.S. Senate in Texas
U.S. Senate · Texas
Phil Gramm (R) won with 54.8% of the vote, defeating Victor M. Morales (D) by 10.8 points.
Phil GrammRepublican · winner
54.8%3,027,680
Victor M. MoralesDemocrat
43.9%2,428,776
Michael BirdLibertarian
0.9%51,516
John HuffNatural Law
0.4%19,469
5,527,441 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.
Victor M. MoralesPhil Gramm
$999.3K
Raised by the campaign
$3.8M
$986.9K
Spent by the campaign
$6.3M
$12.4K
Cash on hand
$598.1K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996
The candidates
Phil Gramm (R)Victor M. Morales (D)
Also on the ballot: Michael Bird (Libertarian), 0.9%; John Huff (Natural Law), 0.4%