Halo and Destiny composer Marty O'Donnell's political aspirations have hit a roadblock following last night's US mid-term elections. O'Donnell was campaigning for a seat in the US House of Representatives, running as a Republican candidate in Nevada's Third Congressional District, but is projected to lose.
The Associated Press called the race at 9am this morning, with incumbent Democrat Susie Lee currently holding 59.1 percent of the vote as of writing. O'Donnell currently has 38.6 percent of the vote, making a deficit of over 51,000 votes. The Associated Press estimates 86 percent of the vote has been counted, which if accurate, would make O'Donnell's comeback impossible. Lee seems to have ridden the 'blue wave' that has seen a huge number of seats across US Congress and Senate flip over to the Democrats.
O'Donnell, who is perhaps still best known for his music work, composed many of developer Bungie's most beloved soundtracks, creating music for the likes of Halo, Destiny, Myth, and Oni. He entered the political arena following his firing by the studio in 2014. Since then, he's been a figure of some controversy, describing LGBTQA+ people as an "existential threat" alongside Marxism and Islamists. He has also spoken out against same-sex marriage equality, and his comments drew understandable scrutiny during his recent campaign.
Per his website, O'Donnell was campaigning on a platform of economic improvement, small business support, increased border security, and anti-corruption measures. He did not claim corporate Political Action Committee (PAC) money - a hot topic this election cycle - but did receive financial support from the Trump-tied Safety and Affordability Super PAC, which notably pulled $2m in funding last month.
Following his departure from Bungie, O'Donnell won a substantial settlement from the developer after claiming he was fired "without cause". In a related 2021 judgement, O'Donnell was found in contempt of court after uploading Destiny assets to his personal YouTube channel.
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