The cut leaves O’Donnell leaning on his own campaign while Democratic groups keep spending.
What Just Happened
A Trump-aligned group called Safety and Affordability PAC just pulled a week of TV ads for Republican Marty O’Donnell. An ad-tracking alert shows $953,995 in ads, set to run October 14 to 20, was taken out of the Las Vegas market.
The PAC’s scheduled TV spending for that week is now zero.
That’s a big shift. Last month the group, which The New York Times says is funded by President Trump’s super PAC, reserved $3.2 million in ads for October and November. It’s not yet known whether its ads for the final weeks will still run.
The Nevada cancellation comes amid a broader national reshuffling of Republican advertising spending.
Separately, the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with House Republican leadership, has redirected $10 million from four congressional districts into 16 others.
🚨🚨🚨
House Republicans and Trump just triaged #NV03.
This is the FIFTH district national Republicans have abandoned today. https://t.co/n4LGEFZNEt
— CJ Warnke (@cjwarnke) October 13, 2026
What Does “Triage” Mean?
Politicos have a word for what just happened. They call it triage.
Think about a busy emergency room. Doctors can’t help everyone at once. So they treat the patients they think they can save first. Political parties do the same thing with money in the last weeks of a campaign.
Nevada isn’t alone. Groups tied to Trump and House GOP leaders canceled all remaining ads for Rep. Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey and Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa. They also dropped ads against two Democrats they hoped to beat, Rep. Greg Landsman of Ohio and Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet of Michigan.
One source told the Times more seats could be dropped this week.
The leader of the Congressional Leadership Fund defended the moves.
“For two years, we’ve built the resources and infrastructure that allow us to maneuver in a difficult environment,” said CLF president Chris Winkelman.
“These moves keep the pressure on the most vulnerable Democrats and preserve a path to 218 seats.”
The money isn’t vanishing. CLF is moving $10 million into 16 other districts. None of the reports say any of it is coming back to Nevada.
Why This Seat Matters
This is a winnable district. In 2024, Republican Drew Johnson lost to Lee by just 2.8 points, even though Trump narrowly carried the district. One forecast still shows only about a 3-point edge for Lee.
Two years before that, Republican April Becker lost to Lee by about 10,000 votes. Every race here comes down to a few points.
No public polls of the race have been released. But on October 9, Cook Political Report shifted the race to “Likely Democrat,” meaning Lee is clearly favored.
O’Donnell is the composer behind the “Halo” video games. In April, he was endorsed by both Trump and Gov. Joe Lombardo, and he easily won the June primary.
He also loaned his own campaign $3 million.
O’Donnell Hosts Halo Tournament
O’Donnell spent last weekend hosting a Halo gaming tournament as a campaign fundraiser. The two-day “Marty Army LAN Party” at Red Rock Casino featured actor Dean Cain and two original Halo developers.
The event came less than four weeks before Election Day.
Campaign promotions billed it as a “LAN party.” LAN stands for local area network, a setup where gamers connect their computers and play side by side.
Awesome to have my friend @Deancain at the Marty Army Halo LAN Party! https://t.co/5pKFfMI0WR
— Marty O’Donnell (@MartyTheElder) October 10, 2026
What Comes Next
Politico reported earlier this month that President Trump’s travel schedule would take him to Las Vegas in mid-October.
Then Nevada GOP Chair Michael McDonald said Trump planned to visit Northern Nevada’s 2nd District instead. According to The Nevada Independent, well-connected Republicans believed that trip will replace a Southern Nevada stop, not add to it.
Now the president will sleep in Las Vegas Tuesday night. FOX5 reports Air Force One should land around 9:45 p.m. But his rally is Wednesday in Bullhead City, Arizona, about 100 miles away.
For a district where a national group just canceled nearly $1 million in advertising, that says a lot.
The Nevada GOP is urging members to make the drive.
“Midterm Rally! Tomorrow! Two battleground states!” the party posted on X Tuesday.
Midterm Rally! Tomorrow! Two battleground states!
Doors open at 9:30, get your tickets now: https://t.co/wIIVl7oUBY https://t.co/yfbhSShpSh
— Nevada GOP (@NVGOP) October 13, 2026
Democrats aren’t waiting around. A group called AB PAC just spent $998,571 on billboards backing Lee. So while GOP money left town, nearly a million dollars came in on the other side.
The next three weeks will mostly come down to the people who live here. Washington made its choice. Now Southern Nevada gets to make its own.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI.
