Marty O'Donnell

O'Donnell is a native of the Chicago area, according to the Nevada Independent. He describes an upbringing in a middle-class family in which his father was a filmmaker and his mother a piano teacher. He studied piano and then composition at Wheaton College and later did graduate study toward a master's degree in music composition, according to a 2026 Nevada Independent interview profile.[3][4] He began his career writing music for television and radio commercials, including a Flintstones vitamins jingle, before becoming known in the video game industry as composer and sound designer for the Halo series. He was audio director at the game developer Bungie for over a decade, and he moved to Seattle in 2000 after Microsoft acquired the studio. He also collaborated with Paul McCartney on the orchestral suite Music of the Spheres for the 2014 game Destiny.[2][3][4]

O'Donnell moved to Southern Nevada in 2021. The Nevada Independent reports that he has served for years in positions at the Center for Faith and Culture, a Washington State nonprofit, without taking a salary.[3] His first foray into politics came in 2024, when he ran in the Republican primary for Nevada's 3rd District, according to Nevada Current. He placed fourth with 20.4% of the vote after spending more than $1 million of his own money.[2][4][6] In 2026 he won the June 9 Republican primary with the endorsement of Gov. Joe Lombardo, and he had loaned his campaign $3 million.[3][4][6] During the campaign, his campaign website said he was running on the message that "one good job should be enough."[7] He received 38.1% of the vote to Susie Lee's 59.6%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[1]