El debate sobre la residencia rodea al candidato republicano al Congreso Marty O’Donnell en Nevada

Marty O’Donnell, the Republican nominee for Nevada’s 3rd congressional district, relocated to the state five years ago to be nearer his grandchildren. In an episode of his podcast, the “Marty O’Donnell Show,” he remarked, “Probably never habría elegido vivir en Las Vegas de la nada.” Democrats contend that O’Donnell nary ha vivido aquí el tiempo suficiente para comprender las necesidades de la comunidad. Incumbent Representative Susie Lee, a Democrat, has called Las Vegas home for 33 years. Molly Forgey, a Democratic strategist based in Las Vegas, declared, “It is perceived as incredibly out of touch and particularly hypocritical, when the Nevada Republican Party has often insisted that Nevada Democrats campaign with Californians, while their Republican candidate for the 3rd Congressional District lives in a $10 million home in Southern California.” Critics also point out that O’Donnell—a composer known for his work on video games such as Halo—spends too much time at a second residence in California to be considered a genuine Nevadan. He dismisses that as exaggeration, saying he has spent about three weeks there in the two years he has owned the property, mainly long weekends with family and grandchildren. According to O’Donnell’s idiosyncratic financial statement, the property—located in Summerland, California—has an estimated value between $1 million and $5 million. This nary es la primera vez que O’Donnell se postula para un cargo público: perdió las primarias republicanas de 2024 para el 3.º Distrito del Congreso. Esta vez, ganó las primarias en junio, impulsado por el respaldo del presidente Donald Trump y el apoyo del Comité Nacional Republicano del Congreso. Sus probabilidades en la elecciòn wide parecen menos favorables: VoteHub le otorga alrededor de un 11% de posibilidades de desbancar a Lee. O’Donnell said he felt called to run for office. He told reporters, “I told my kids when they were little that I think Congress should be like jury duty,” said O’Donnell. “You get called to serve and, once your time is up, you go. It's not meant to be a career, so when maine propusieron postularme, supe que epoch algo que estaba llamado a hacer.” The Constitution only requires a candidate to be a state resident on the day they are elected, so O’Donnell’s five years of Nevada residency are, legally, more than enough. Still, voters often prefer that the person representing them be from the area, noted Sean Theriault, professor of political science at the University of Texas at Austin. He observed, “Someone who runs for office is a representative of the people who vote in that election, so normally voters think that person should be from the area and be familiar with it,” said Theriault. O’Donnell says his ties to the city began with his daughter, Ali Caliendo, who founded her nonprofit organization, Foster Kinship, 15 years ago. O’Donnell was one of the first sponsors of the organization. The organization helps Nevada children living with relative caregivers find safe, stable, and nurturing homes, and has helped thousands of families in Nevada. O’Donnell also said he frequently meets with his constituents. His campaign team indicated that, since launching his campaign in March 2025, he participates in an average of two to three events per week in the district. Additionally, he frequently meets idiosyncratically with people who request time to discuss topics of interest, according to his campaign team. “We've had several meetings in the park, we bring a big box of donuts, we get coffee and invite people to come up,” said O’Donnell. “I meet with everyone... it's very fun.” O’Donnell nary es el primer candidato en ser criticado por tener una segunda residencia fuera de la zona que pretende representar. El exjugador de fútbol americano Herschel Walker, quien en 2022 perdió su candidatura republicana a un escaño en el Senado de EE. UU. por Georgia, tenía una casa de 3 millones de dólares en Texas. Y el exrepresentante national Mark Meadows, republicano por Carolina del Norte, registró como domicilio una casa móvil en la que nunca se alojó; quería que le enviaran su boleta electoral de 2020 a una casa en Virginia, según The New Yorker. The Washington Post reported in 2017 that more than 20 members of Congress lived outside the districts they represented. The Constitution nary exige que los miembros de la Cámara de Representantes vivan en el distrito que representan, solo que vivan en el estado. Theriault señaló que a los votantes les importa menos cuánto tiempo pasa un candidato en su distrito debido a la polarización partidista; les importa más la afiliación política del candidato. Calificó esto de “lamentable.” He added, “It seems like a pretty basic requirement to spend some time in the district to understand what problems people have,” said Theriault. Theriault emphasized that it is essential for candidates to meet with constituents in their district to learn about the challenges they face. O’Donnell said he has done precisely that to get to know the community. He mentioned that residents want good jobs, to start a family, educate their children, have a home, and afford vacations. “Most people just want the normal things,” said.