Mary Cavanagh (born 1991) is an American politician serving as a

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

member of the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

from the 10th district. Elected in 2020 while attending college at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

, she assumed office on January 1, 2021.

Early life and education

Cavanagh was born in

Redford Township, Michigan Redford, officially the Charter Township of Redford, is a charter township in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The township shares its eastern border with the city of Detroit. The population was 49,504 at the 2020 census. History ...

to parents

Phil Cavanagh Phil Cavanagh is an American politician from Michigan. Cavanagh is a former member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 10th District (previously the 17th District before redistricting). He is the son of Jerome Cavanagh, who was Ma ...

and Lily Cavanagh. In December 2020, Cavanagh earned a bachelor's degree in physical anthropology from

. She is the granddaughter of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

mayor

Jerome Cavanaugh Jerome Patrick Cavanagh (June 16, 1928 – November 27, 1979) was an American politician who served as the mayor of Detroit, Michigan from 1962 to 1970. Initially seen as another John F. Kennedy, his reputation was doomed by the 1967 riots. He w ...

who served from 1962-1970.

Career

Cavanagh was an

AmeriCorps AmeriCorps (officially the Corporation for National and Community Service or CNCS) is an independent agency of the United States government that engages more than five million Americans in service through a variety of stipended volunteer work pro ...

member, and also served as a

precinct delegate A precinct captain, also known as a precinct chairman, precinct delegate, precinct committee officer or precinct committeeman, is an elected official in the American political party system. The office establishes a direct link between a political ...

for Redford Township; a board member of the Michigan Democratic Women's Caucus; and as director of the New Start Construction Company. On August 4, 2020, Cavanagh won the

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

primary for the

representing the 10th district. Another candidate however, Brenda Hill, had declared victory on and after election day, but after the absentee ballots had been counted, it was shown that she had lost to Cavanagh. Hill, who was in second place in the primary, disputed these results, and called for investigation into the election by

Michigan Secretary of State The Michigan Department of State is administered by the Secretary of State, who is elected on a partisan ballot for a term of four years in gubernatorial elections. The Secretary of State is the third-highest official in the State of Michigan. A ...

Jocelyn Benson Jocelyn Benson (born October 22, 1977) is an American activist, politician, and former academic administrator. She is the 43rd Secretary of State of Michigan. Benson is a former dean of Wayne State University Law School, a co-founder of the Mi ...

. The fact that Cavanagh's mother was the treasurer of Redford Township was a source of suspicion to Hill. On August 12, Hill had organized a protest at the Redford Township Hall. Later, on December 2, Hill accused Cavanagh of

carpetbagging In the history of the United States, carpetbagger is a largely historical term used by Southerners to describe opportunistic Northerners who came to the Southern states after the American Civil War, who were perceived to be exploiting the lo ...

. She claimed Cavanagh lived in

Garden City, Michigan Garden City is a city in Wayne County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,692. The city is part of the Metro Detroit region and is approximately west of the city of Detroit. M-153 (Ford Road) r ...

, which is outside of the 10th district, and that she did not live in Redford Township with her father as she claimed. On November 3, 2020, Cavanaugh was elected to the state house. She assumed office on January 1, 2021, and she currently represents the 10th district.

Criminal charges and conviction

On February 25, 2022, Cavanagh was arrested and subsequently charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. Video shows her swerving on the road while driving with both driver's side tires flat, and the front one off the rim. After being unable to perform field sobriety tests, she initially refused a breathalyzer, then agreed and blew more than double the legal limit—which under Michigan OWI law is considered "super-drunk" and triggers special penalties. She was previously convicted of drunk driving after pleading guilty to charges in 2015.The Redford Democrat pleaded guilty in April 2022 to operating while intoxicated following her Feb. 25 arrest in the Livonia area. She received the recommended sentence of a $500 fine plus other fines, a 10-day work program, two years of probation and must appear for sobriety court. https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/wayne/2022/05/07/mary-cavanagh-sentenced-probation-fines-drunken-driving/9686494002/

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cavanagh, Mary Living people 1991 births Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives People from Wayne County, Michigan Wayne State University alumni Women state legislators in Michigan 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians