ICYMI: Marty O’Donnell Disparages Las Vegas From His $4.5 Million Santa Barbara Home

As Nevada families struggle to afford housing, Marty O’Donnell is dismissing bipartisan housing legislation as “not urgent” — all while retreating to what he calls his “little strip of heaven” in California and disparaging Las Vegas. In the same breath, he admitted he “would probably never just choose to live in Las Vegas out of the blue.” While Rep. Susie Lee has spent decades living, raising a family, building non-profits, and serving the community she represents, O’Donnell admits he still needs to learn about the district. 

The Nevadan: Marty O’Donnell admits he needs to ‘learn’ about the district he’s running for

• Newly surfaced audio shows Republican congressional candidate Marty O’Donnell saying LGBTQ+ people are an “existential threat” and that he needs to learn more about the district he’s running for. 

• O’Donnell, a video game composer, is backed by House Republicans’ “MAGA Majority” program, which supports Republicans in battleground districts. O’Donnell, however, has drawn widespread criticism after an interview clip resurfaced of him saying, “Talk about an existential threat,” and listing LGBTQ+ people, Marxists, and “Islamists” as working together in a “weird alliance.” 

• Clips have also resurfaced—some from his podcast—of him admitting that Las Vegas wouldn’t be his first choice of home. 

• Three months after O’Donnell announced his bid for the congressional seat, he went on his podcast and said he “would probably never just choose to live in Las Vegas out of the blue,” and added he only moved to the Silver State because of his grandchildren.

• O’Donnell moved to Nevada in 2021. It’s not his first time running for the swingiest district in Nevada. In 2024, he attempted to unseat Lee, but failed as he came in fourth place in the primary election. 

• In an audio obtained by The Nevadan from a 2024 GOP event at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, O’Donnell said, “There are some very specific things about Nevada that I need to learn,” such as housing, water policy, and infrastructure. 

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