Matt Cavanaugh

“Find a mission, a real mission, with stakes, where you truly don’t know what the outcome will be. Then, in that great task - be willing to give everything for just one thing, to do the right thing even if it might cost you everything, and do it with and for other people. And even if it doesn’t work out the way you thought, even if you have regrets - I sure do - you’re going to make scars you’ll always be proud of. That’s what life is - making good scars - the rest is just Netflix on Tuesday." theleadershippodcast.com/tlp508-your-sc…

The real "Trump corollary": You can't win a war you can't explain. latimes.com/opinion/story/…

When the tank is empty… The mind finds something deeper. See full interview here: youtu.be/IGMQdLgQS5k #CombatStory #Endurance #MentalToughness #Resilience #VeteranStories

House Dem campaign arm is expanding its target map to include #CO05. Republican Jeff Crank over performed Trump in the district in ‘24. He won by +14, Trump by +9. This is the only seat in CO not to have ever elected a Dem. #copolitics

You don’t understand the mission until the end. Then you realize it meant giving everything for one thing, and doing what’s right no matter the cost. Full Episode Here: youtu.be/IGMQdLgQS5k #CombatStory #ServiceAboveSelf #VeteranStories #Leadership #Purpose

It was a true privilege to talk with AJ Pascuiti/@combat_story - covering my time in combat, kidney donation, and then testing the limits of human endurance across 4 of the world's toughest deserts. youtube.com/watch?v=IGMQdL…

Maduro deserves every bad thing he’s got coming—but regime change and a presidential pledge to “run” Venezuela with possible “boots on the ground”—is too far. Americans know that those who pay the biggest bill for the law of unanticipated consequences is troops and taxpayers.

Maduro's awfulness won't obscure far worse truths: -Regime change is war and war demands Congress. -The Pres. is starting wars, not stopping them. -"Conquer the Caribbean" is beneath us (as if Captain Jack Sparrow's running the show). latimes.com/opinion/story/… @PaulRieckhoff @SpencerGuard @WarintheFuture @peterwsinger

A few minutes ago, I announced that I'll run the rest of my campaign for Congress as a Democrat in CO-05. We have enormous challenges, and that's going to take an enormous coalition - Ds, Is, even some Rs - to put this country back on track. coloradopolitics.com/2026/01/02/ind…

The latest @indy_americans with @cavanaughforco is a good and extremely inspiring one. Meet an incredible independent vet leader—who can win a critical Congressional seat next year. Cavanaugh is the next Dan @osbornforne. Watch or listen now. And if you wanna follow Matt’s lead, or support other independent vets like him, check out @IndyVetsAmerica. We’re looking for 100 independent vets to run for office from Senate to school board in 2026.🇺🇸

@PaulRieckhoff @cdotrosenthal @cavanaughforco @JMUFootball @oregonfootball Perhaps one of the most motivational interviews ever, go Cavanaugh!

The reason we picked the American buffalo for our campaign's spirit animal! facebook.com/reel/789279427…

⚡️New Independent Americans. EP 399. @cavanaughforco. Independent Vet for Congress in CO-5th. America’s Most Independent District. Party Politics is Alien vs Predator. Donating a Kidney. Colorado’s Buffalo is the Independent Spirit Animal. Best Scar Wins. Friday Football: CFB Playoffs.  Watch @indy_americans on YouTube now: youtu.be/5p9M6LcFCIQ?si… Listen on Spotify, ApplePods all other platforms at IndependentAmericans.us Independent Veteran candidate, retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, PhD, ultra-marathon champion, and living kidney donor Matt Cavanaugh is a damn impressive leader. And he joins me on Independent Americans from Colorado’s 5th district for an unfiltered, high-energy conversation on why “America is not okay” and why he believes voters are trapped in another “Alien vs. Predator” election where, if either major party wins, the people lose. From NORAD’s backyard in the shadow of Pikes Peak, he makes the case that his home turf—majority independent, home to five military bases and Team USA—is the best district in America for an independent veteran Congressional candidate to break through.​ Cavanaugh explains why his campaign logo features a buffalo and how American bison running straight into the storm became his metaphor for political courage in a district that’s ready to send an independent veteran to Congress. He tears into gerrymandering, shutdowns that burned billions, and a political class that left every newborn with six-figure national debt stapled to their birth certificate, while calling for a new generation of “rational vertebrates” with the backbone to stand up for Article One of the Constitution.​ Matt and I also fly into Matt’s living kidney donation—why he voluntarily gave a kidney at Walter Reed to a stranger in Seattle, how that transplant chain saved eight lives and saves taxpayers far more than it costs, and how serving others from combat to transplantation to running for office is his answer to these “times that try men’s souls.” I open the episode with a rapid-fire breakdown of Trump’s marijuana order and “war dividend” troop checks, the Trump–Kennedy Center rename push, the rising risk of war near Venezuela, Ukraine’s 1,390th day of full-scale war, and major movement on extremism inside the Coast Guard, plus culture, sports, and hope—from Avatar and SpongeBob to Football Friday picks, polar bears, skiing with kids, and New York City marathon memories. It’s a fierce and fun way to close out a wild week.  Independent Americans and I track it all like NORAD. Subscribe to Independent Americans for free on YouTube, Spotify, ApplePods all platforms at IndependentAmericans.us. You’ll get the show automatically every morning. And I’ll help you stay vigilant. And if you wanna run like @cavanaughforco, checkout @IndyVetsAmerica.🎙️🚨🇺🇸🎅🏈

This guy is my guest on @indy_americans today. It’s not boring.🎙️⛰️🦬🇺🇸

@cavanaughforco is the only living kidney donor to complete one of the toughest endurance challenges on earth. 🌍🏃‍♂️ Listen to his conversation with @MBRADIOUS to hear about his story and his new book, BEST SCAR WINS. tr.ee/EzGJHX

Good morning America's Mountain! (*Unedited photo of Pikes Peak from my living room window.)

#BESTSCARWINS is in the world this week and this is the impact!! @MattHoltBooks @BenBellaBooks

This is one of the shortest and most important essays I've ever written - my priorities in this campaign are to Restore Congress, Rebuild Trust, and Reboot the American Dream. mlcavanaugh.substack.com/p/the-way-i-se…

Happy pub day to ML Cavanaugh (@cavanaughforco) for BEST SCAR WINS! Embrace your scars as triumphs—not as experiences that hold you back but as lessons that define how you move forward. Get your copy here or wherever you buy books: bit.ly/BestScarWins