Republican · Nevada's 3rd District · 2026
Martin O'Donnell
Millions of video game players know Marty O'Donnell's work before they know his name: he composed music for Halo.
Biography
Martin “Marty” O'Donnell built a career writing music familiar to video game players and television viewers, from Halo to the Flintstones vitamins jingle.12 He met his wife, Marcie, at Wheaton College, and they have two daughters and three grandsons.21 Family Sundays include grilling hot dogs, playing Zelda and watching documentaries together.2
O'Donnell earned a music composition master's degree at USC in 1981 and founded a commercial music and sound production company in Chicago.1 His work at Bungie included audio and music for Halo and Destiny, including collaboration with Paul McCartney on Music of the Spheres, before he co-founded Highwire Games.1
He moved to Las Vegas in 2021 and is making a second congressional run after his 2024 primary campaign.12 His creative career and gaming audience have become part of the campaign, including an event where supporters brought their own gaming equipment to play together.2
O'Donnell emphasizes immigration enforcement and distrust of concentrated power, saying large corporations, unions and government often leave ordinary people behind.2 He is the Republican nominee challenging Democratic incumbent Susie Lee in the Third District, where Independent American Party candidate Jon Kamerath is also on the ballot.3
Record and controversies
Forum moderation
An October 2026 AP review found racist and antisemitic posts by members of the Marty Army forum, which O'Donnell controlled and used for campaigning.4 His campaign said it assigned a staff monitor and banned nearly 200 users for hateful rhetoric, while acknowledging missed posts; AP found some offending posts remained.4
Civil court order
GameSpot reported a 2021 civil contempt ruling over O'Donnell's use of Destiny assets despite a 2015 injunction, following an earlier settlement in his favor over being fired.5 The reported order required sales proceeds and reasonable fees, while his representatives disputed Bungie's requested $100,000.5 He later published the required statement acknowledging Bungie's ownership and requesting deletion.6