THE CAVALRY HAS ARRIVED: NRCC Opens Las Vegas Battle Station to Retire Susie Lee

National Republicans are putting down roots in Southern Nevada, opening a new NRCC “Battle Station” with Republican congressional nominee Marty O’Donnell as the party turns one of America’s closest House districts into a full-scale offensive.

The National Republican Congressional Committee and O’Donnell will host the office’s grand opening Saturday, August 8. The Las Vegas headquarters will serve as the campaign’s command center and a hub for grassroots activity through November.

Actor Dean Cain and other Republican leaders will join O’Donnell for the opening.

An office ribbon-cutting may lack the glamour of a presidential rally or television commercial, but it represents something far more valuable to a campaign: infrastructure.

The Battle Station will give O’Donnell’s campaign a permanent base to recruit volunteers, organize voter outreach and build the turnout operation required to defeat Democrat Rep. Susie Lee.

National Republicans are not merely placing Lee’s name on another Washington target list. They are placing people, resources and organization directly in her backyard.

“Join us on Saturday in Vegas for the grand opening of the Marty for Congress campaign office,” O’Donnell announced Thursday.

The new office represents the latest stage of an increasingly aggressive Republican campaign in Nevada’s Third Congressional District.

The NRCC added O’Donnell to its MAGA Majority program in April, providing the former small-business owner and composer behind the Halo and Destiny video-game franchises with national support and campaign resources.

“Marty O’Donnell is ready to finish the fight for Nevada families who are tired of being ignored by crooked Susie Lee,” NRCC Spokesman Christian Martinez said when the committee announced O’Donnell’s selection.

President Donald Trump endorsed O’Donnell before the Republican primary, describing him as an America First candidate who would create jobs, cut taxes, reduce regulations and defend No Tax on Tips.

O’Donnell won the June primary and now enters the general election with the NRCC, Trump and Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo united behind him.

The Battle Station turns that support into boots on the ground.

Its opening comes during a week in which O’Donnell’s campaign shifted decisively into general-election mode.

On Wednesday, O’Donnell released his first television advertisement, using his background as an award-winning composer to explain how Washington’s neglect has knocked the economy out of tune.

“This piano’s in tune because I take care of it. Neglect it, and nothing sounds right. That’s our economy,” O’Donnell says while playing the piano.

The ad ends with a promise to get Congress back in tune. Townhall called the spot one of the most creative advertisements of the election cycle.

O’Donnell’s campaign reportedly plans to spend more than $2 million on advertising during the general election. Lee has reserved approximately $2.3 million of her own.

That means Nevada voters will see plenty of both candidates on television. The new Battle Station is designed to ensure Republicans also meet them at their doors.

The difference matters in a district frequently decided by inches.

Lee defeated her Republican opponent by only 2.8 percentage points in 2024, even as Trump carried the district. She received 51.4 percent of the vote while the Republican nominee received 48.6 percent.

Trump’s victory exposed the weakness beneath Lee’s carefully manufactured political image. Thousands of voters supported the Republican agenda while splitting their tickets to give Lee another term.

The Republican campaign now has one job: close that gap.

Every volunteer recruited, door knocked and voter contacted from the new Battle Station will be aimed at ensuring Trump voters no longer give Lee a free pass.

The office opening also builds directly upon Trump’s appearance Wednesday at Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa.

O’Donnell and fellow Republican congressional nominee Carrie Buck addressed the crowd before Trump spoke. The president later recognized O’Donnell, Buck and other Nevada Republican candidates from the stage, demonstrating that Nevada’s House races are central to the national Republican campaign to expand its majority.

Dean Cain, who will speak at Saturday’s grand opening, also attended the Red Rock event and received a presidential shout-out alongside Mike Tyson and Rick Harrison.

The former Superman actor provides Saturday’s opening with some Hollywood flash, but the more consequential guest is the NRCC’s political machinery.

The committee has now named both O’Donnell in NV-03 and Buck in NV-01 to its MAGA Majority program. Trump carried both Nevada and Lee’s district in 2024, giving Republicans confidence that Southern Nevada’s Democrat-held House seats are no longer protected territory.

The NRCC’s investment reflects that changed political reality.

For years, Nevada Democrats relied on a sophisticated turnout operation to drag unpopular incumbents across the finish line. Republicans are now building the organization required to fight them voter by voter.

Lee’s record gives that operation plenty to work with.

She voted against Trump’s Working Families Tax Cuts, which included No Tax on Tips, No Tax on Overtime, tax relief for seniors and investment accounts for newborn children. Trump returned to Las Vegas this week to celebrate those policies with the Nevada workers benefiting from them.

Lee rejected the package, dismissed the relief as “crumbs” and then attempted to claim credit for portions of the law after Republicans passed it without her.

O’Donnell used his Red Rock appearance to remind voters that Lee abandoned Nevada workers when their money was actually on the line.

The Battle Station will now carry that contrast into neighborhoods across the district: Trump and Republicans delivered tax relief; Lee voted against it.

National Republicans could have treated NV-03 like another tempting district that looks competitive on paper before disappearing from the map once television prices climb. Instead, they are investing in the organization necessary to win it.

O’Donnell has the national endorsement, the television budget, the presidential spotlight and now the field operation.

Lee has spent years surviving close elections by convincing Washington Democrats that she is safer than she looks. The new NRCC Battle Station sends the opposite message.

Republicans believe she is vulnerable, the district is winnable and Nevada is worth fighting for.

The Battle Station opens Saturday. The real target closes November 3.

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