CC BY-SA 2.0
IndependentRunning for CO-5 U.S. House · 2026
Matt Cavanaugh
Matthew Andrew Cavanaugh is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a quarterback, winning two Super Bowl titles. He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers. He is currently the senior offensive assistant at Washington.
Born 1956 · Youngstown, Ohio , U.S.
In brief
AI · verified vs data · 2026-07-04
Former NFL quarterback and coach Matt Cavanaugh, currently senior offensive assistant at Washington, is running as an independent for Colorado's 5th Congressional District House seat. In polling, he trails opponent Jeff Crank significantly, with Cavanaugh at roughly 5% and Crank at about 43%. Cavanaugh has raised approximately $200,000 for his campaign.
5%
Polling average
our aggregate
$165k
Raised this cycle
FEC · committee
Independence scorecard
Computed · FEC money mixWho Cavanaugh's money comes from.
C+
55/100
Independence index
A mixed funding picture — small-dollar reliance is the watch item.
2 watch items · small-dollar reliance
Small-dollar reliance10
5% of individual + PAC money from donors under $200
PAC independence80
5% of individual + PAC money from PACs
In-state funding30
70% of itemized receipts come from out of state
Outside-money exposure100
No significant outside spending in support so far
MONEY-MIX INDEX, COMPUTED FROM FEC FILINGS ONLY: SMALL-DOLLAR SHARE, PAC RELIANCE, IN-STATE MONEY AND OUTSIDE (IE) SPENDING. IT DOES NOT SCORE VOTES OR DONOR–VOTE ALIGNMENT. HIGHER = MORE INDEPENDENT · GREEN ≥70 · AMBER 50–69 · RED <50.
Governing & voting record
—
No legislative record
Roll-call votes and sponsored bills are collected for members of Congress from congress.gov. There is no roll-call source for this office yet.
Where they stand
—
Key positions not yet compiled
Positions are drawn from the candidate's public record and statements. We haven't compiled a verified set for this candidate yet.
How they vote
—
No party-unity or ideology scores
Party-unity and DW-NOMINATE ideology scores are only available for candidates with a congressional roll-call record.
Ratings from advocacy groups
—
No advocacy-group ratings
Interest-group scorecards have no machine-readable feed — they're curated per candidate, and none are on file yet.
Career & history
—
No career timeline
Career history is built from Wikipedia / Wikidata records. No matching public record was found for this candidate.
Public favorability
—
No favorability data
This candidate isn't tracked by YouGov's public-figure panel, and no published state polling on their favorability was found.
Donors & money
FEC itemized filings · cycle-to-dateWho funds the campaign.
$165k
Raised
$159k
Spent
$6k
Cash on hand
Source of funds · individual + PAC
5% small (<$200)90% large indiv.5% PAC
30% in-state · 70% out-of-state (itemized)
OWN-COMMITTEE TOTALS FROM FEC FILINGS THROUGH 2026-03-31 · INDUSTRY GROUPS ARE ITEMIZED RECEIPTS CLASSIFIED BY EMPLOYER — A KEYWORD APPROXIMATION, NOT OPENSECRETS CODING.
Race
The contest Cavanaugh is running in.
CO · HOUSE · 2026lean r
Cavanaugh (I) vs Jeff Crank (R)
5%−38.0 Crank43%
Open full race detail →
Related prediction markets
All markets →Live contract prices tied to Cavanaugh and the seat. Prices are ¢-per-share of the YES outcome; context only, never merged into our polling averages.
Sources & provenance
Biography
Public record
Wikipedia + state records
Money & donors
FEC filings
itemized + committee totals
Markets
Live venues
Polymarket · Kalshi
ALL FIGURES DRAWN FROM PUBLICLY AVAILABLE RECORDS · CANDIDATE PROFILES ARE NONPARTISAN AND CARRY NO ENDORSEMENT. · PHOTO: MOBILUS IN MOBILI · CC BY-SA 2.0 (WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
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Independent · CO-5 U.S. House
Matt Cavanaugh
Matthew Andrew Cavanaugh is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a quarterback, winning two Super Bowl titles. He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers. He is currently the senior offensive assistant at Washington.
Where Cavanaugh standsRace →
Cavanaugh 5%Jeff Crank 43%
5%
Poll avg
$165k
Raised
In brief
AI · verified vs data · 2026-07-04Former NFL quarterback and coach Matt Cavanaugh, currently senior offensive assistant at Washington, is running as an independent for Colorado's 5th Congressional District House seat. In polling, he trails opponent Jeff Crank significantly, with Cavanaugh at roughly 5% and Crank at about 43%. Cavanaugh has raised approximately $200,000 for his campaign.
Governing & voting record
—
No legislative record
Roll-call votes and sponsored bills are collected for members of Congress from congress.gov. There is no roll-call source for this office yet.
Where they stand
—
Key positions not yet compiled
Positions are drawn from the candidate's public record and statements. We haven't compiled a verified set for this candidate yet.
Career & history
—
No career timeline
Career history is built from Wikipedia / Wikidata records. No matching public record was found for this candidate.
Public favorability
—
No favorability data
This candidate isn't tracked by YouGov's public-figure panel, and no published state polling on their favorability was found.
Independence scorecard
Who Cavanaugh's money comes from.
C+
55/100
Independence index
A mixed funding picture — small-dollar reliance is the watch item.
2 watch items · small-dollar reliance
Small-dollar reliance10
5% of individual + PAC money from donors under $200
PAC independence80
5% of individual + PAC money from PACs
In-state funding30
70% of itemized receipts come from out of state
Outside-money exposure100
No significant outside spending in support so far
MONEY-MIX INDEX, COMPUTED FROM FEC FILINGS ONLY: SMALL-DOLLAR SHARE, PAC RELIANCE, IN-STATE MONEY AND OUTSIDE (IE) SPENDING. IT DOES NOT SCORE VOTES OR DONOR–VOTE ALIGNMENT. HIGHER = MORE INDEPENDENT · GREEN ≥70 · AMBER 50–69 · RED <50.
How they vote
—
No party-unity or ideology scores
Party-unity and DW-NOMINATE ideology scores are only available for candidates with a congressional roll-call record.
Ratings from advocacy groups
—
No advocacy-group ratings
Interest-group scorecards have no machine-readable feed — they're curated per candidate, and none are on file yet.
Donors & money
$165k
Raised
$159k
Spent
$6k
Cash on hand
Source of funds · individual + PAC
5% small (<$200)90% large indiv.5% PAC
30% in-state · 70% out-of-state (itemized)
OWN-COMMITTEE TOTALS FROM FEC FILINGS THROUGH 2026-03-31 · INDUSTRY GROUPS ARE ITEMIZED RECEIPTS CLASSIFIED BY EMPLOYER — A KEYWORD APPROXIMATION, NOT OPENSECRETS CODING.
Sources & provenance
Biography
Public record
Wikipedia + state records
Money & donors
FEC filings
itemized + committee totals
Markets
Live venues
Polymarket · Kalshi
ALL FIGURES DRAWN FROM PUBLICLY AVAILABLE RECORDS · CANDIDATE PROFILES ARE NONPARTISAN AND CARRY NO ENDORSEMENT. · PHOTO: MOBILUS IN MOBILI · CC BY-SA 2.0 (WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)