Texas Rainbow Fund is tracking early campaign finance activity in the Houston City Council District C race.

Across the four campaigns with January 15 filings, the reports captured so far include about $180,554 in monetary contributions and $75,050 in candidate loans (notably from Oathout and Hellyar) — roughly $255,604 total, with about 90 days of fundraising still ahead.

Based on reports filed on January 15, 2026, the early fundraising picture shows a clear set of money leaders. This is not an endorsement, and it is not a prediction. It is simply an early snapshot based on publicly filed reports.

Note: figures below are based on the January 15 filings currently available and may change as additional reports are filed or amended.

Early money leaders (based on Jan 15 filings)

• Audrey Nath: $101,745 in monetary contributions ($50,000 coming from donors with the same last name as the candidate: Nath or Flaum).
• Patrick Oathout: $34,795 in monetary contributions and $50,050 in loans.
• Joseph Panzarella: $28,770 in monetary contributions.
• Nick Hellyar: $15,244.28 in monetary contributions and $25,000 in loans.

A quick note on where this early money appears to be coming from: Nath’s fundraising is heavily Texas-based and anchored in Houston, with a donor profile that skews toward healthcare and medical institutions. Panzarella’s contributions show the broadest geographic spread, pulling from many states in addition to Texas, with donors frequently connected to clean energy, climate, and policy-oriented work. Oathout’s support looks more nationally distributed while still Texas-led, and it is paired with significant self-funding through a candidate loan; the occupations that show up most often are in tech and business. Hellyar’s reported contribution volume is smaller at this stage and includes a substantial candidate loan, so the geographic and occupational patterns are less clear from this first filing alone.

A few notable large contributions in the first filings

Looking a bit closer at individual line items (still early, and not a comprehensive review), a few $5,000+ contributions stand out. In Nath’s report, several $5,000 contributions come from donors listed with prominent professional roles, including chief of staff (City of Houston), as well as donors listed as a physician (Baylor College of Medicine) and an applied scientist (Amazon Web Services).

In Oathout’s report, $5,000 contributions include (VP, Discord) as well as donors listed as attorneys.

Campaign finance summary (from Jan 15 filings)

Candidate	Total Contributions	Candidate Loans	Estimated Family Contributions	Cash on Hand	Expenditures
Audrey Nath	$101,745.00	$0	~$70,000.00	$101,578.25	$197.25
Patrick Oathout	$34,795.00	$50,050.00	~$15,735.00	$82,079.68	$2,765.55
Joseph Panzarella	$28,770.00	$0	~$7,450	$26,342.61	$2,619.39
Nick Hellyar	$15,244.28	$25,000.00	Unknown	$38,131.21	$730.38

Candidates we are still watching for filings

In our running list for District C candidates, some campaigns do not yet have a linked campaign finance report on file:

• Angelica Luna (campaign website below). Luna currently serves as Chief of Staff to Lina Hidalgo.
• Laura Gallier
• Sophia Campos

Campaign websites

• Audrey Nath: audreyforhouston.com
• Patrick Oathout: patrickforhouston.com
• Joseph Panzarella: joeforhouston.com
• Nick Hellyar: nickforhouston.com
• Angelica Luna: angelicaforhouston.com
• Laura Gallier: lauraforhouston.com
• Sophia Campos: sophiafordistrictc.org

What we will be looking for next

Fundraising is only one dimension of a local race. Only time will tell where each campaign will stand on:

• Safe streets (Vision Zero, pedestrian safety, and serious injury and fatality reduction)
• Mass transit expansion and better multimodal options
• LGBTQ+ representation and concrete policies that protect and uplift LGBTQ+ Houstonians

Texas Rainbow Fund will continue to follow the District C race closely and share updates as more information becomes available.