Marty O’Donnell, the former Bungie composer and audio director known for his work on Halo, lost his campaign for Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District. The Associated Press called the race for incumbent Democrat Susie Lee with 86% of votes counted. At that point, Lee had 59.1% of the vote, while O’Donnell had 38.6%.
O’Donnell ran as a Republican and had President Donald Trump’s endorsement. The district covers much of Clark County, including part of Las Vegas. Lee has held the seat since 2019.
After Lee appeared set to win, her social media account shared a video titled “Halo theme song performed by 80 guys in 1 bathroom.” O’Donnell responded in a post: “Susie has a lot of class. And it’s all low.”
During the campaign, O’Donnell drew on his video game industry background, including at an event that also celebrated early Halo games. He said “gamers are not woke” and argued that games, movies and comics had been “co-opted by left-wing politics.”
This was O’Donnell’s second run for the seat. He placed fourth in the Republican primary in 2024, then won the party’s nomination in 2026 with Trump’s backing.
O’Donnell began composing game music as a freelancer, working on Bungie’s Myth and Myth 2 before joining the studio full-time around the release of Oni in 2001. He composed music for Bungie’s Halo titles and the first Destiny game. Bungie fired him in 2014; O’Donnell said he was terminated “without cause” and later pursued legal action against the company. His campaign website says he is now retired from the game industry.
Sources: GameSpot.