Ka cika wannan magana: Daga 1968 zuwa 1970 ya yi aiki a rundunar sojan Amurka. A shekara ta 1972 an zabe shi a majalisar dokokin Nebraska kuma ya yi aiki har zuwa 1976 lokacin da aka zabe shi don wakiltar gundumar Nebraska ta 2 a cikin Majalisar Dokokin Amurka ta 95th. An sake zabarsa zuwa Majalisar Amurka ta casa'in da shida daga 3 ga Janairu, 1977 zuwa 3 ga Janairu, 1981. Bai sake tsayawa takara ba a 1980, ya zabi ya ci gaba da aikinsa a Omaha. Shi dan Katolika ne kuma wakili ne na Nebraska zuwa Babban Taron Demokradiyya na 1980, 2000, da kuma
A shekara ta 2004. Cavanaugh memba ne na ReFormers Caucus na fitowar farko.