Marty O'Donnell has had a long and successful career as a composer, but he is best known for his nearly 20-year association with developer Bungie. O'Donnell worked as audio director on music for all of Bungie's Halo titles, and his last project was Destiny, but that was before the relationship between the musician and the studio went sour; since being fired in 2014, O'Donnell has filed various lawsuits against his former employer and Microsoft, some of which have gone his way and some of which have not.

O'Donnell founded Highwire Games after leaving Bungie and composed the soundtrack for its debut title, Golem, but then seemed to quietly retire (barring lawsuits). Well, it turns out that the devil finds work for the lazy: O'Donnell has now announced his intention to run as a Republican congressional candidate in Nevada.

"I didn't want to be a politician and I still don't," O'Donnell began somewhat cryptically. 'I was ready to retire and spend more time with my family. They think I'm ready to find something else to do."

O'Donnell's announcement is lengthy and can be read in full here. He states that America's "toxic divisions" are "tearing apart our families and our society" and that the economy is "horribly wrong." In a colorful metaphor, O'Donnell says, "The goose that lays the golden egg for our country is being kicked around and squeezed to the point where it is almost impossible to lay any more golden eggs. [It is the little people who are being squeezed, and O'Donnell knows who is at fault. Big tech, big pharma, big media, and more are trying to control big government in Washington, DC."

If this all sounds a little familiar, it may not surprise you to learn that O'Donnell is a supporter of former President Donald Trump, and of course he will be the Republican nominee again in 2024 ("I voted for President Trump twice and will vote for him a third time this fall") We might be surprised to learn that he will be the Republican nominee again in 2024 ("I voted for Trump twice and will vote for him a third time this fall"). To that end, we move from the above points (some of which undoubtedly have an element of truth) to blaming border control and immigrants who "get all kinds of handouts at our expense."

O'Donnell goes on to some of the Republican Greatest Hits. Big government is wasteful and spends too much money. What America needs is good old family values." He adds, "The strength of our society . . is eroding," he says, "and I want to support the traditional family, which is vital to the growth and success of our children. The data supports this, but it is unclear what this has to do with an overbearing government or exactly what O'Donnell is proposing.

The call to arms concludes with the declaration that "we need bold leaders for times like these" and a link to the "Marty For Congress" website, where one can register to join "Marty's Army" or donate. Of note that might be of interest to his former employer is that O'Donnell's Donate link lists fixed amounts associated with Halo. For example, Master Chief is listed as $117 for John-117 and $343 for 343 Guilty Spark; there is also a donate button for $7, but this is a special Bungie number, not exclusive to Halo.

The announcement has brought an influx of new followers to O'Donnell's Discord, asking questions about his stance on Israel/Palestine and LGBTQ+ issues. It is going as well as you could hope.

O'Donnell will be a candidate for Nevada's 3rd Congressional District in the 2024 Assembly election, which will be held on November 5, 2024. If his campaign is successful, he will be one of the state's four congressmen.