US Rep. Mike Collins, the Republican nominee for the US Senate in Georgia, has lost his second chief of staff in less than a year, continuing a pattern of staff turmoil that has dogged his campaign against Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff.
Kip Talley, who served as Collins’ chief of staff, departed amid scrutiny after reports revealed that he had participated in a group chat that included white nationalist Nick Fuentes. In the chat, Talley said he would “try to use the levers of the legislative branch” to help secure the release of a Holocaust denier from prison.
Talley’s exit marks the second time in less than a year that Collins has cycled through a top aide under a cloud of controversy. His predecessor, Brandon Phillips, brought his own history of legal trouble to the role, including a 2022 arrest for an animal cruelty charge after allegedly kicking a dog and a guilty plea for battery.
Collins fired Phillips earlier this year after Phillips used a campaign account to mock a Republican operative whose wife attempted suicide after alleging former NBC host Matt Lauer raped her.
Additionally, Phillips remains under congressional investigation for allegedly misusing taxpayer funds, including paying his girlfriend more than $10,000 to work as an intern despite her allegedly never reporting for the job.
Collins has now turned to Andrew Eisenberger, a former deputy aide, to fill the chief of staff role for the third time in roughly a year. Eisenberger previously worked for the Republican National Committee and for US Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania.
The staffing churn comes at a critical moment for Collins’ campaign. He is facing Ossoff, a fundraising juggernaut who has already raised $81 million this cycle. The Democratic senator has repeatedly invoked the controversies surrounding Phillips and Talley to criticize Collins as a “bigot” and an “antisemite.” Early polling from Fox News shows Ossoff with a double-digit lead heading into the general election.
Collins secured the GOP nomination last month, defeating Derek Dooley—the candidate backed by Gov. Brian Kemp—in a runoff. Kemp had campaigned for Dooley on electability grounds, arguing Republicans needed a political outsider to beat Ossoff in November.
With two chiefs of staff gone in under a year, Collins may be giving Kemp’s warning new weight.
