Trump-backed Republican Marty O’Donnell has advanced from a crowded GOP primary and will now face Democratic Rep. Susie Lee in Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District, setting up a competitive general election race in one of the state’s key battleground seats.
O’Donnell is best known outside politics as the composer behind the “Halo” and “Destiny” video game franchises. During his campaign, he has emphasized a “families first” message, along with support for small businesses, public safety, and tighter border security.
Nevada’s 3rd District has long been one of the state’s most closely watched congressional races. Its large suburban electorate has made it politically unpredictable in recent presidential cycles. President Donald Trump carried the district in 2016 and again in 2024, while former President Joe Biden won it in 2020.
O’Donnell entered the primary with significant Republican support after receiving endorsements from Trump and Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo.
In an April endorsement posted on Truth Social, Trump attacked Lee over a range of issues, including immigration, policing, gun rights, taxes, and healthcare. He argued that O’Donnell would support Trump’s “America First” agenda, including lower taxes, fewer regulations, stronger border enforcement, expanded domestic energy production, and protection of Second Amendment rights.
O’Donnell has also leaned into culture-war issues, drawing comparisons between politics and what he has described as the “wokification” of the video game industry.
“I believe the enthusiasm for the re-release of the original ‘Halo’ is in large part due to the wokification of the gaming industry,” O’Donnell wrote in 2025. “After years of gamers fighting the infiltration of DEI in the industry, we are finally winning.”
He said he saw the rise of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in gaming firsthand and argued that players pushed back when they felt identity politics were being forced into games by developers. “How did gamers react to having things forced on them by non-gamers developing these characters in the studio? They revolted,” he wrote.
The “Halo” franchise, which centers on humanity’s war against alien invaders, has sold tens of millions of copies since its 2001 debut and remains one of the most recognizable video game series in the world.
Lee, who has represented the district since 2019, narrowly held onto the seat in 2024 even as Trump won the district at the presidential level. A former education advocate, she has positioned herself as a moderate Democrat and has focused much of her messaging on schools, healthcare, and the cost of living.
Lee has strongly opposed Trump’s proposal to eliminate the Department of Education. She has instead called for more federal funding for public schools, special education, and after-school programs. She has also campaigned on lowering costs for families, especially in healthcare.
The district includes a sizable Hispanic population and many voters connected to Nevada’s gaming, hospitality, and tourism industries. Those issues are likely to shape the general election, along with immigration and economic concerns.
O’Donnell supports strict border enforcement, completing the border wall, and targeting human and drug trafficking. Lee has backed some tougher border-security measures in the past, but she opposes Trump’s efforts to restrict birthright citizenship and has criticized parts of his immigration agenda.
