# Georgia State House — District 177 — 2026 Candidates — The GA Files > Where the 2026 candidates for Georgia State House — District 177 stand — bio, prior offices, top donors, positions on DEI, LGBTQ+, abortion, and data centers, plus any scandals. Sourced. *Source: https://thegafiles.com/candidates/house-district-177.html · The GA Files (thegafiles.com)* --- [← 2026 Candidates](https://thegafiles.com/candidates.html) # Georgia State House — District 177 D ### Elsie Napier Democratic nominee · nurse practitioner and pastor Elsie Napier, a first-time candidate from Valdosta, has worked in nursing since age 20 and spent more than 40 years in public health, and now works as a PRN hospice nurse. She is a pastor with TEACH Outreach Ministries, which runs a feeding program that grew into transitional housing. She led the five-way May primary with 30% and beat Rep. Alvin Payton Jr. in the June 16 runoff with about 58%. #### Previously held - First run for public office #### Top contributors $9,321 raised and $753 on hand. Her largest donor is herself, followed by her ministry and family members. - $2,100.00 — Elsie C. Napier (Valdosta, GA — the candidate) - $1,100.00 — TEACH Inc. (Valdosta, GA) - $1,000.00 — William T. Cason (Valdosta, GA) - $900.00 — Johnathan Hill (Valdosta, GA) - $532.00 — Foxy 97.5 / WHLJ-FM (Naylor, GA — in-kind) - $500.00 — Samantha J. Napier (Valdosta, GA) **$9,321** raised · **$753** cash on hand — as of **Sep 14, 2026** (GA Ethics latest filing). Source: [Georgia Ethics Commission (PeachFile) — cycle-to-date, Sept. 14, 2026](https://peachfile.ethics.ga.gov/) · [Valdosta Daily Times — Race for 177: Meet Elsie Napier (April 2, 2026)](https://valdostadailytimes.com/2026/04/02/race-for-177-meet-elsie-napier/) · [Valdosta Daily Times — Elsie Napier wins state representative 177 seat (June 16, 2026)](https://valdostadailytimes.com/2026/06/16/elsie-napier-wins-state-representative-177-seat/) · [WALB — Five candidates vying for District 177 seat (April 21, 2026)](https://www.walb.com/2026/04/21/five-candidates-vying-district-177-seat-vacancy-since-dexter-sharper-stepped-down/) · [Ballotpedia — Georgia House of Representatives District 177](https://ballotpedia.org/Georgia_House_of_Representatives_District_177) · [Wikipedia — 2026 Georgia House of Representatives election (2024 presidential margins by district)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Georgia_House_of_Representatives_election) #### Where they stand Education We reviewed her campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. She lists education among her priorities. Source: [Valdosta Daily Times — Race for 177: Meet Elsie Napier (April 2, 2026)](https://valdostadailytimes.com/2026/04/02/race-for-177-meet-elsie-napier/) Healthcare We reviewed her campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. She lists health care among her priorities. Source: [Valdosta Daily Times — Race for 177: Meet Elsie Napier (April 2, 2026)](https://valdostadailytimes.com/2026/04/02/race-for-177-meet-elsie-napier/) Minimum Wage We reviewed her campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Valdosta Daily Times — Race for 177: Meet Elsie Napier (April 2, 2026)](https://valdostadailytimes.com/2026/04/02/race-for-177-meet-elsie-napier/) Homelessness “There's no reason in the world why someone has worked on a job for 10, 15 years faithfully and still cannot afford ownership of a basic home.” Source: [Valdosta Daily Times — Race for 177: Meet Elsie Napier (April 2, 2026)](https://valdostadailytimes.com/2026/04/02/race-for-177-meet-elsie-napier/) Veterans Affairs We reviewed her campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Valdosta Daily Times — Race for 177: Meet Elsie Napier (April 2, 2026)](https://valdostadailytimes.com/2026/04/02/race-for-177-meet-elsie-napier/) Immigration We reviewed her campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Valdosta Daily Times — Race for 177: Meet Elsie Napier (April 2, 2026)](https://valdostadailytimes.com/2026/04/02/race-for-177-meet-elsie-napier/) Gun Control We reviewed her campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Valdosta Daily Times — Race for 177: Meet Elsie Napier (April 2, 2026)](https://valdostadailytimes.com/2026/04/02/race-for-177-meet-elsie-napier/) Abortion We reviewed her campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Valdosta Daily Times — Race for 177: Meet Elsie Napier (April 2, 2026)](https://valdostadailytimes.com/2026/04/02/race-for-177-meet-elsie-napier/) LGBTQ+ We reviewed her campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Valdosta Daily Times — Race for 177: Meet Elsie Napier (April 2, 2026)](https://valdostadailytimes.com/2026/04/02/race-for-177-meet-elsie-napier/) DEI We reviewed her campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Valdosta Daily Times — Race for 177: Meet Elsie Napier (April 2, 2026)](https://valdostadailytimes.com/2026/04/02/race-for-177-meet-elsie-napier/) Marijuana We reviewed her campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Valdosta Daily Times — Race for 177: Meet Elsie Napier (April 2, 2026)](https://valdostadailytimes.com/2026/04/02/race-for-177-meet-elsie-napier/) Data centers We reviewed her campaign coverage as of September 2026 and found no stated position on this. Source: [Valdosta Daily Times — Race for 177: Meet Elsie Napier (April 2, 2026)](https://valdostadailytimes.com/2026/04/02/race-for-177-meet-elsie-napier/) #### Accountability File None documented. [GA Files fact sheet — Alvin Payton Jr.](https://thegafiles.com/AlvinPayton.html) [⬇ Share image](https://thegafiles.com/share/candidates/house-district-177.png) [⬇ Download for offline](https://thegafiles.com/candidates/house-district-177.offline.html) Every entry is drawn from published reporting, official records, or the candidate's own statements, with sources on each item. Policy summaries are condensed from that reporting and reflect the candidate's stated positions; where a matter is an allegation or unresolved, that is noted, and inclusion is not a finding of guilt. Contributor figures are early/partial where the official itemized filings (Georgia Ethics Commission) are still being compiled. Corrections welcome via the contact link in the footer. Last updated 2026-06-17.