Voters in Houston City Council District C will choose a new representative in a special election on Saturday, April 4, with early voting beginning Tuesday, March 18.
The seat became vacant after former District C Council Member Abbie Kamin stepped down to run for Harris County attorney. The winner will serve the remainder of the term through January 2028.
District C includes a wide swath of central Houston neighborhoods, including parts of the Heights, Montrose, Washington Avenue, Rice Village, Meyerland and River Oaks. The seven candidates running for the seat come from backgrounds including government, medicine, organizing, accounting, military service, energy development and real estate.
Below is a look at the candidates based on information provided through their campaign materials.
MEET THE CANDIDATES
(in alphabetical order)
Sophia Campos (campaign photo)
Sophia Campos
Background: Elementary school teacher
Website: www.sophiafordistrictc.org
Campos frames her campaign around accountability, protection of vulnerable communities and opposition to what she describes as political “pre-compliance” with harmful state policies. Her campaign messaging focuses heavily on concerns about LGBTQ protections, immigrant rights, policing, transparency and local autonomy. Campos says Houston needs leadership willing to confront state pressure directly and openly.
Priorities: Her stated priorities center on protecting Houston communities from state overreach, defending immigrant and LGBTQ residents, and improving living and working conditions. Campos also highlights homelessness and says she supports a humane, housing-first approach backed by adequate shelter and affordable housing resources. On infrastructure, she emphasizes flood resilience, oversight of mitigation funds and long-term planning shaped by climate risk and subsidence concerns.
Laura Gallier (campaign photo)
Laura Gallier
Background: Certified public accountant
Website: www.lauraforhouston.com
Gallier, a longtime CPA and Heights resident, says her campaign is informed by decades of work in accounting, grassroots advocacy and public comment at local government meetings. A native Houstonian with deep family roots in District C, she has been involved in movements related to voting rights, criminal justice, immigrant rights, flood resilience, public education and city budgeting. Gallier says she wants to bridge community needs and city financial decisions with what she calls a “CPA lens.”
Priorities: Gallier’s platform focuses on rethinking city spending and reallocating resources toward basic services and community-centered safety strategies. She highlights disaster preparedness, flood mitigation, tenants’ rights, safe transportation infrastructure, water system repairs, illegal dumping cleanup, composting, tree planting and language access to city services. She also stresses constitutional rights, dignity for workers and immigrants, and non-carceral approaches to housing and crisis response. Her campaign repeatedly emphasizes budget accountability and the idea that tax dollars should be used for voter-approved services and infrastructure.
Nick Hellyar (campaign photo)
Nick Hellyar
Background: Real estate professional and former constituent services staffer
Website: www.nickforhouston.com
Hellyar, who attended Lanier Middle School and Lamar High School, says his interest in politics began early and eventually led him to work on campaigns and in constituent services for elected officials. He now runs a residential real estate business and says his experience in government offices taught him how to help residents solve everyday problems. His campaign presents him as a hands-on candidate focused on neighborhood concerns and practical service delivery.
Priorities: Hellyar’s platform emphasizes safe neighborhoods, constituent services, quality of life, housing, transportation, flooding and the city budget. He supports more cadet classes for the Houston Police Department, mental health response programs and targeted cooperation with ICE for those accused of violent crimes. He also highlights heavy trash pickup, pothole repairs, safer streets for all users and an overall transit plan shaped by community input. On housing, he supports tools such as smaller lot sizes, accessory dwelling units and incentives for affordable housing development, while on flooding he stresses interagency coordination, trash removal and drainage maintenance.
Angelica Luna Kaufman (campaign photo)
Angelica Luna Kaufman
Background: Harris County chief of staff/executive leadership official
Website: www.angelicaforhouston.com
Kaufman describes herself as a longtime Houston public servant with more than two decades of experience in government, communications and executive leadership. She currently serves in a senior leadership role in Harris County and has previously worked with organizations including the Texas Democratic Party, the Democratic National Committee and the Harris County Democratic Party. A Heights resident, Kaufman says her campaign is rooted in experienced, steady leadership and a focus on making government work effectively.
Priorities: Kaufman’s platform emphasizes public safety, flooding and drainage, mobility, neighborhood quality of life and what she describes as accountable, effective government. She says she wants to focus on “delivering the basics well,” including trash pickup, sidewalks, drainage and responsive city services. She also highlights flood mitigation, disaster resilience, smart growth, economic opportunity and transparency in city spending and operations.
Audrey Nath (campaign photo)
Audrey Nath
Background: Neurologist
Website: www.audreyforhouston.com
Dr. Audrey Nath, a board-certified neurologist, says she is running to “diagnose and treat” the problems facing District C. Nath was born in Houston, attended Rice University and completed her medical training in Texas before returning to Houston with her family in 2017. She says her experience caring for patients, including unhoused, immigrant and low-income communities, informs her approach to public policy. Nath lives in District C and is the parent of two HISD students.
Priorities: Nath’s campaign is built around creating what she calls a “Healthy, Safe, Affordable, More Connected District C.” She identifies public safety as her top priority, including safer streets for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers, along with flood infrastructure that protects families during severe weather. She also emphasizes public health, parks and green space, public transportation and support for LGBTQ and immigrant communities. Her campaign presents many city issues through a public-health lens.
Patrick Oathout (campaign photo)
Patrick Oathout
Background: AI safety leader and Army veteran
Website: www.patrickforhouston.com
Oathout describes himself as a District C native, Army veteran and technology professional focused on artificial intelligence safety. A graduate of Poe, Lanier and Lamar, he says his experiences growing up in Houston, serving in the military and facing discrimination as a gay man shaped his decision to run. Oathout returned to Houston in 2025 after military service and now works in the AI field. His campaign presents him as a candidate focused on affordability, infrastructure, public safety and “courage.”
Priorities: Oathout’s platform centers on affordability, safer neighborhoods, infrastructure improvements and responsive constituent service. He supports faster housing development, clearer permitting, project transparency and stronger budget oversight. On public safety, he calls for police recruitment, violence prevention, crisis response and quicker action on illegal dumping and dangerous intersections. He also highlights flood protection, 311 modernization, LGBTQ protections, responsible use of AI in city government and resistance to state overreach affecting Houston’s local control.
Joe Panzarella (campaign photo)
Joe Panzarella
Background: Renewable energy developer and community organizer
Website: www.joeforhouston.com
Panzarella says he has spent the past several years organizing with neighbors around safe streets, affordable housing and civic engagement. Raised in Kingwood, he moved to Houston to work in renewable energy and now helps manage procurement and data analysis for large-scale solar, wind and battery projects. He has also served as president of the Fourth Ward–Freedmen’s Town Super Neighborhood and has been involved in advocacy related to the I-10 corridor and neighborhood planning.
Priorities: Panzarella’s campaign is organized around three themes: safe streets, sustainable development and responsible government. He calls for sidewalk improvements, safer street design, better drainage and stronger connections between neighborhoods and parks. He also emphasizes affordable housing, smarter budgeting, water security, lower energy costs and protection for students and working families. His responsible-government platform includes expanded constituent services, heat mitigation, support for LGBTQ residents, immigrant protections and oversight of artificial intelligence in city operations.
The April 4 special election will determine who represents District C as City Council continues work on issues ranging from public safety and infrastructure to housing, mobility and city services.
HOW TO VOTE
Early voting for the April 4 City of Houston Special Election to fill the vacant District C City Council seat will run from March 18-31. The elected candidate will serve the remainder of the term through Jan. 1, 2028.
“Special elections often see lower turnout, but the impact on the community is just as important. We encourage every eligible voter in District C to vote early or on Election Day,” said Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth. “Your participation matters in every election.”
Harris County will operate six early voting locations and 20 vote centers on Election Day. Voters can find a full list of locations and estimated wait times at HarrisVotes.com.
Early Voting
Wed., March 18 – Sat., March 21 (7 a.m. – 7 p.m.)Sun., March 22 (Noon – 7 p.m.)Mon., March 23 – Sat., March 28 (7 a.m. – 7 p.m.)Sun., March 29 (Noon – 7 p.m.)Mon., March 30 – Tue., March 31 (7 a.m. – 7 p.m.)
Election Day
Sat., April 4 (7 a.m. – 7 p.m.)
Acceptable Photo Identification
TX Driver’s License (DPS)TX Election Identification Certificate (DPS)TX Personal Identification Card (DPS)TX Handgun License (DPS)U.S. Military ID with photoU.S. Citizenship Certificate with photoU.S. Passport (book or card)
Voting by Mail
Application deadline: March 24, 2026Eligible voters include:Individuals 65 or olderVoters who are sick or have a disabilityVoters who will be outside the county during the voting periodVoters expecting to give birth within three weeks before or after Election DayVoters confined in jail but otherwise eligible to vote