Marty O’Donnell, one of the two iconic Halo composers, has announced their intent to run for US Congress. After retiring years ago, O’Donnell has decided to chase a career in politics.
Announced in a new Twitter post, O’Donnell informed fans of their plans to run for Congress in the state of Nevada. Running as a Republican candidate, the ex-video game composer will race against Democrat candidate Susie Lee.
Via GamesBeat, O’Donell explained that they aim to “restore sanity to Washington” and “rebuild our economy to have a thriving middle class”. The video game composer said they plan to “restore the values that lead to strong families and strong communities”.
“I never wanted to be a politician and I still don’t,” the composer said. “I’m tired of seeing the leaders of our country being influenced by the toxic divisions that are tearing apart our families and society. It’s time for me to step up and do my civic duty. To give back and try and change things for the better. If not me, who? If not now, when?”
Alongside points surrounding the inflation of product prices and the exploitation of the public by “big tech and big pharma”, O’Donnell also expressed a wish to reduce immigration via the US border.
“We see millions of people coming in without any accounting for who they are, what they intend to do, or what they’re bringing with them. And they’re being given access to all sorts of handouts at our expense,” they said.
In the past, O’Donnell was one of the most beloved video game composers in the industry, alongside partner composer Michael Salvatori. However, the composer has also been criticised for his political views, predominantly his support of President Donald Trump.
Marty O’Donnell last composed music for Golem, a PS4 VR game that released in 2019 to mixed reception.
As for Halo, Microsoft’s iconic FPS series is also in a mixed state. While Halo Infinite Season 5 has revived the free-to-play multiplayer game into something truly great and the TV show’s second season is shaping up very nicely, the series is still less popular than it used to be.