HOUSTON — Joe Panzarella defeated Nick Hellyar in a special election runoff to fill the District C seat on the Houston City Council, according to results reported Saturday night by the Harris County Clerk’s Office.
Panzarella, a progressive community organizer, received 64.7% of the 9,912 votes cast, while Hellyar, a former City Hall staffer, earned 35.3%.
More than 3,330 ballots were cast on Election Day Saturday.
The two candidates were competing to replace Abbie Kamin, who stepped down after being appointed interim Harris County attorney.
Panzarella campaigned on expanding affordable housing and improving multimodal transportation across the city.
“This is a grassroots, people-powered campaign that is passionate about safer streets, about affordable housing and transparency,” Panzarella said after early voting results were released. “This is what a lot of folks in District C are looking for, and we’re excited to bring that vision to city council.”
Hellyar focused his campaign on strengthening core city services, including police and parks programs.
The two advanced from a seven-candidate field in April’s special election, where Panzarella received 33% of the vote and Hellyar earned 23%. Progressive candidate Audrey Nath finished third with 20% and later endorsed Panzarella in the runoff.
District C stretches from the Heights through Montrose to Meyerland and includes a large Jewish population.
The race drew controversy after George Hittner, a former city council candidate, funded an advertisement criticizing Panzarella for accepting an endorsement from Council on American-Islamic Relations.
The ad accused the organization of antisemitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric and referenced Texas Gov. Greg Abbott calling the group a “terrorist organization.”
In response, Panzarella called Abbott’s characterization “dangerous and racist misinformation” and emphasized his support for the Jewish community.
“Representing District C means protecting Jewish families, congregations, schools, and institutions, and standing against antisemitism,” he said.
Panzarella reiterated that position Saturday night, saying his campaign stayed focused on its message despite the attacks.
“When we saw the attacks and had to deal with them, we just doubled down on our vision and on our community,” he said.
On Friday, Hittner filed a lawsuit seeking to extend voting into Sunday, arguing Orthodox Jewish voters were disadvantaged because Election Day fell on the Sabbath. The lawsuit was rejected the same day.
Hellyar said Friday that the advertisement and legal action were “being led by the Jewish community in District C.”
“I have always been an ally of the Jewish community in Houston, and I support them now,” Hellyar said.
Campaign finance reports filed May 8 showed Hellyar raised about $176,000 during the race, while Panzarella raised more than $156,000 overall. However, between the April election and the runoff, Panzarella outraised Hellyar by approximately $71,000 to $63,000.
The loss marked Hellyar’s third unsuccessful run for Houston City Council after previous bids in 2019 and 2023.