Marty O'Donnell, the Republican nominee challenging Democratic Rep. Susie Lee in Nevada's 3rd Congressional District, is facing new scrutiny over an online forum he has controlled for years that reportedly contains racial slurs, Nazi-related statements and defenses of white nationalist conspiracy theories. O'Donnell, best known before entering politics as the music composer behind the Halo video game series, has referred to himself as the forum's “benevolent dictator,” and the controversy lands just two weeks before Nevadans vote in a race that could help decide control of the U.S. House.
An Associated Press review of thousands of posts made on the forum, known as The Marty Army, between 2022 and 2026 found racial slurs, minimizations of Nazi Germany and defenses of white nationalist conspiracy theories, according to WTOP. The outlet reported that O'Donnell has served as the group's de facto leader. Posts reviewed by the AP reportedly included statements praising Nazi actions, questioning whether Hitler was evil, and the phrase “Heil Hitler,” while one March 2024 user wrote that the Nazis had done some good things.
The AP found that some users who espoused Nazi sympathies were kicked off the forum, but many of their posts remain online, per the same report. A 2024 forum user reportedly warned that O'Donnell's political career could run into trouble “if someone does a vulnerability study and they find this server,” a comment that now reads as prescient given the current controversy. News 3 Las Vegas reported that when its own staff attempted to view comments on the Marty Army Discord, a forum moderator removed them from the server within two minutes.
Campaign Pushes Back on Antisemitism Claims
O'Donnell's campaign has flatly rejected the suggestion that the candidate condones antisemitism. A campaign spokesperson told News 3 Las Vegas that the notion Marty is okay with antisemitism is ridiculous and not backed up by any sort of facts. The campaign said O'Donnell dedicated a staffer to monitor the Discord channel and remove people who spew racist and antisemitic vitriol, and said it had been monitoring the channel for months.
The campaign said nearly 200 users have been banned because of hateful rhetoric, including many flagged by the AP, the station's report notes. In a statement, the campaign said O'Donnell will not tolerate the rise of antisemitism in the country and will continue to fight bigotry, misinformation and hate toward Israel because it is the right and moral thing to do.
A Separate Controversy Over a Podcast Guest
The forum review follows an earlier controversy tied to O'Donnell's podcast. In August 2025, O'Donnell hosted far-right influencer Charles Cornish-Dale, who goes by the online persona “Raw Egg Nationalist,” for the 25th episode of The Marty O'Donnell Show on YouTube. Cornish-Dale has been quoted saying, “For decades we have allowed too many people into our country. We have allowed the wrong kinds of people into our countries,” and separately remarked that “Minneapolis might as well be Mogadishu.”
Jewish Insider uncovered the controversial posts attributed to Cornish-Dale, which have since been deleted. O'Donnell campaign spokesperson Keith Schipper told the outlet that O'Donnell was unfamiliar with Cornish-Dale before the interview and was unaware of the posts until Jewish Insider's inquiry. The campaign also said Cornish-Dale was booked by O'Donnell's production team rather than by O'Donnell himself.
Political Stakes in a Toss-Up District
Nevada's 3rd Congressional District is considered one of the country's closest House races and one of the Republicans' top targets, according to The Nevada Independent. Lee won reelection 52.0%-48.0% in 2022 and 51.4%-48.6% in 2024, while Donald Trump carried the district 49.5%-48.8% over Kamala Harris that same year, per Ballotpedia. As of July 2026, major election forecasters rated the general election Lean Democratic, though as of June 30 Lee had raised $4.4 million to O'Donnell's $4.1 million, nearly even fundraising totals in a contest both parties are watching closely.
Sonoma State University political science professor David McCuan said the race is going to play a critical role in shaping the outcome, according to News 3 Las Vegas. McCuan criticized the handling of the issues described in the AP review, saying it should have been vetted and handled or scrubbed long ago. He also said campaign officials' claims of ignorance are unlikely to be accepted by swing voters this close to Election Day, adding that the idea of “we did not know” is just not going to fly in this type of environment.
Susie Lee responded to the controversy by saying Marty O'Donnell has shown how dangerous and extreme he is, and that anyone who platforms antisemitism, racism and hate speech has no place in Congress. The Jewish Democratic Council of America has backed Lee, while the Republican Jewish Coalition supports O'Donnell. O'Donnell has also received endorsements from President Trump and Gov. Joe Lombardo, though neither responded to requests for comment on the forum controversy, and O'Donnell and Lee were both unavailable for interview, according to News 3 Las Vegas.
O'Donnell previously ran in the 2024 Republican primary for the 3rd District, finishing fourth with 20.4% of the vote before securing this year's nomination. With the Nov. 3 election approaching and political observers saying the outcome could help determine which party controls the U.S. House, the forum controversy adds another flashpoint to a district that has been decided by fewer than four points in each of the last two cycles.
