Marty O'Donnell's Online Forum Contains Racial Slurs and Nazi Sympathies

Marty O'Donnell, a Republican congressional candidate from Nevada, has been running an online forum that contains numerous posts with racial slurs and Nazi sympathies.

Before entering politics, O'Donnell made a name for himself as the award-winning music composer behind the popular "Halo video game franchise. His work attracted a dedicated fan base to his online forum, which he now uses to mobilize support for his campaign in a key Las Vegas area district. As the de facto leader of the group, O'Donnell refers to himself as its benevolent dictator, and has leveraged the community's enthusiasm and financial resources to aid his bid.

The forum, known as The Marty Army, has been the site of heated discussions and debates among its members. However, a closer examination of thousands of posts made between 2022 and 2026 reveals a darker side to the online community.

A review of these posts by an investigative news organization uncovered numerous instances of racial slurs, downplaying the atrocities committed during Nazi Germany's reign, and endorsement of white nationalist conspiracy theories.

Deacon Dameron, a former member who was banned from the forum for calling another user a dork, described the group's sentiment as disturbing.

The online forum controlled by Nevada GOP House candidate is riddled with slurs and Nazi talk, according to an AP review that has raised concerns about the candidate's leadership style.

Campaign spokesman Keith Schipper defended O'Donnell's stance on hate speech, stating that he has zero tolerance for hate in his forum. However, this assertion appears to contradict some of the content shared within the forum, which includes racist and antisemitic language.

The campaign acknowledged being aware of the issue since the spring and took steps to address it by dedicating a staffer to monitor and remove hateful posts. Unfortunately, nearly 200 users have been banned for spreading such rhetoric, including those flagged by the AP.

Despite these efforts, some posts have slipped through the cracks over the years, sparking concerns about O'Donnell's commitment to combating hate speech. His campaign's response has sparked debate about whether he is truly taking a strong stance against bigotry and antisemitism.

O'Donnell's candidacy has garnered significant attention, particularly given his endorsement by President Donald Trump as he runs against four-term Rep. Susie Lee in the Nov. 3 election.

The online forum associated with Nevada House candidate Marty O'Donnell's campaign is filled with discussions about video games and gaming strategies, as well as questions about his work on Halo games. A section of the chat group is dedicated to discussing news and policy after he announced his candidacy in 2024.

Many of the comments on the forum contain racist and anti-Semitic language, often hidden in coded messages that avoid using actual slurs. This was evident in a May 2022 post where members responded with emoji letters spelling out racial slurs for Black people, despite the platform's restrictions on repeated use of emojis to prevent such language.

The coded language used by some forum members suggests they were aware that posting overtly racist comments would attract attention from moderators and potentially lead to consequences. This was confirmed by a former group member who spoke anonymously due to fears of retaliation, citing instances where posters refrained from using explicit racial slurs because it wasn't what the campaign wanted.

The use of coded language allowed users to express their racist views without directly violating the platform's rules, which likely prevented them from being flagged as problematic. This approach was seen in a January 2025 discussion on free speech, where a user expressed a desire to use a racial slur but chose not to for fear of drawing attention.

The forum's content raises questions about O'Donnell's campaign and its association with such language, particularly in light of the candidate's previous work on Halo games. The findings highlight the challenges of policing online communities and the ease with which users can hide racist views behind coded messages.

The online forum controlled by Republican House candidate Joe O'Donnell has a history dating back to 2001 when it was created as an inside joke among fans of the video game Halo". Initially called "The Marty Army, its name was inspired by a glam rock band, not the candidate himself. The group's founders later relocated it to Discord, where O'Donnell assumed control and made it a hub for his supporters.

O'Donnell has repeatedly claimed that users who promote racist or antisemitic views will be banned from the forum. However, an investigation by the AP found that while some users who expressed Nazi sympathies were removed, many of their posts remain on the platform. This highlights the challenges faced by moderators in policing online communities.

The AP review discovered several examples of users promoting Nazi ideologies within the forum. In March 2024, one user suggested that the Nazis did some good things despite their atrocities. Another user asked if Hitler was truly evil, qualifying his statement with a caveat about the Holocaust. These comments were made in response to other posts on the forum.

The AP found that O'Donnell has publicly stated he would delete posts promoting hate speech. However, it appears that not all such content is being removed from the platform. The investigation raises questions about how effectively O'Donnell and his team are policing the forum for racist or antisemitic views.

O'Donnell's campaign website links to the Discord chat group, which he has also promoted on social media platform X. In a post announcing his candidacy, he invited supporters to join Marty's Army and participate in his campaign for Congress.

A review of online forums connected to Nevada House candidate Marty O'Donnell has uncovered disturbing content.

Posts made by forum members in February included a statement invoking the Nazi salute Heil Hitler. This is not an isolated incident, as other messages on the platform have expressed approval for current and historical fascist figures.

O'Donnell himself contributed to these discussions, sharing a photo of himself wearing a mask that he claimed was meant to resemble Benito Mussolini, the Italian dictator who allied with Adolf Hitler. However, his campaign disputes this characterization, stating that O'Donnell purchased the mask as part of a Halloween costume nearly two decades ago and only later jokingly referred to it as a Mussolini mask.

This incident is not an isolated example of O'Donnell's associations. He has hosted Charles Cornish-Dale, a far-right influencer with ties to Nazi ideology, on his podcast, The Marty O'Donnell Show.

O'Donnell claimed in a recent interview that he was previously unaware of the resurgence of antisemitism, stating that he thought it had become a thing of the past.

A review of online forum posts associated with a Nevada Republican congressional candidate has uncovered disturbing content, including slurs and Nazi talk.

The forum, where users engage in discussions under the guise of supporting the candidate's campaign, features posts that are deeply concerning. Users responded to warnings from the candidate about antisemitism by posting an emoji of an exaggerated nose and the term GOY", a sometimes derogatory Yiddish term for non-Jews.

This kind of language is seen as coded hate speech by some experts, who argue it perpetuates discriminatory attitudes towards Jewish people. In fact, anti-hate groups have warned that such comments can be particularly damaging due to their subtle yet insidious nature.