Republican candidate for Georgia House faces child molestation charge

A Republican candidate running to unseat a Democratic incumbent in the state Legislature is facing charges for exposing himself to a child walking to her bus stop earlier this month.

Authorities charged Andre Stafford, running for Georgia House District 42 in Smyrna, with one felony count of child molestation and one count of public indecency.

Reached by phone, Stafford said he was innocent, but would not comment further about the accusations or his campaign for state House.

Authorities arrested Stafford on Thursday. Records show Stafford was released on Saturday on a $27,720 bond.

According to an arrest report, Stafford is accused of telling a girl she was pretty before exposing himself and driving away from a bus stop early on Oct. 15. The report did not give the age of the alleged victim.

Authorities using a Flock license plate reader identified Stafford’s vehicle as being near the bus stop. The girl identified Stafford as the driver in a photo lineup using his driver’s license photo, authorities said.

The Republican is running to unseat current state Rep. Gabriel Sanchez, the first Democratic Socialist elected to the Legislature in 2024. Stafford is running in a heavily Democratic-leaning Cobb County district that Sanchez won by more than 26 points against his Republican opponent in 2024.

Stafford, a former chair of the Cobb Young Republicans, is listed as one of U.S. Rep. Mike Collins’ “Convoy Captains” in Collins’ bid for Senate against U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff.

Collins has been forced to defend his “Convoy Captain” program, a leadership team assembled by the campaign from more than 800 volunteers across the state, and has come under fire after reporting from the Daily Beast alleged several of Collins’ captains have criminal histories or connections to far-right figures.

“Mr. Stafford has volunteered on many campaigns across the state this year, including ours,” said Collins’ campaign spokesperson, Meyer Siegfried, in a statement. “The charges are sickening, and if they’re true then he belongs on a list and behind bars.”

Cobb County Republican Party Chair Mary Clarice Hathaway said in a statement she has known Stafford for two years and that “this is not the Andre I have known.”

“Fortunately, we have a judicial system that will sort through this and find the truth, but as that process plays out, he is innocent until proven guilty,” she said. “As someone who cares deeply for children and is a mother myself, if a crime was committed then whomever did that should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. There is no gray area there for me.”