Musical Composer Enters GOP Primary For CD-3

Halo musical composer Martin (Marty) O’Donnell announced he is running in the GOP primary for Congressional District 3 with hopes to unseat incumbent Democrat Susie Lee who is vying for a third term in the competitive district.

In a lengthy interview with GamesBeat, O’D0nnell is entering the race “to restore sanity to Washington so we can rebuild our economy to have a thriving middle class, bring security to the country and the border, and restore the values that lead to strong families and strong communities.”

Although O’Donnell has treated politics as a “hobby,” he stressed that he was concerned about the rising “toxic divisions” in politics and felt the need to do something to help bridge the divide.

O’Donnell is a “boomer conservative” and a  Trump supporter who promises to work with either Biden or Trump to solve the country’s problems.

“America enjoyed a secure border and no inflation in the Trump administration four years ago,” O’Donnell said. “I have voted for President Trump twice and will vote for him a third time this fall. But no matter who is elected this November, if I have the privilege to serve, I plan to work with them. That’s what voters expect and that’s what I’ll do.”

After his announcement, a tweet from 2016 started circulating on X (formerly Twitter) where O’Donnell announced that “Donald Trump is an idiot.” His GOP challenger Drew Johnson lobbed a fiery tweet in response:

Some dude with no political experience, who says he doesn't want to be in Congress, blames the border crisis on Republicans, just moved to Southern Nevada 2 years ago, and sent the tweet below is planning to run in the REPUBLICAN primary for Congress in CD3. This guy is a JOKE. https://t.co/L1clJ01VmE

— Drew Johnson (@DrewForNevada) March 4, 2024

O’Donnell told The Globe: “That was over 8 years ago. I’ve voted for Donald Trump before and plan to vote for him again this November. At the time, then-candidate Trump did something that left me frustrated, and I vented my frustration. I’m not a politician; I didn’t delete tweets or hide anything; my life is my life. Donald Trump was a great President, but I wish he wouldn’t tweet sometimes, which isn’t a problem anymore!”

What may be a problem for any GOP candidate in CD-3 is beating Susie Lee who has amassed a campaign war chest of over $2 million dollars with $1.6 million cash on hand.

O’Donnell has pledged to not take “any money from big business” for his campaign and will likely rely on self funding. His campaign is run by the same consultants behind Governor Joe Lombardo’s surprising victory over Steve Sisolak.

Yet, the district is considered a swing district which may swing away from Lee as she votes with Biden 100 percent of the time. According to recent polls, a majority of Nevadans do not approve of Biden’s job performance and believe he is not mentally or physically able carry out a second term.

O’Donnell will face government watchdog and tax analyst Drew Johnson, former state legislator Elizabeth Helgelien, and former state Treasurer Dan Schwartz in the June GOP primary.