[2] Caputo began his career in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, who at the time was Robert McNamara, where the Systems Analysis Unit hired recent business school graduates to work on policy issues.

[2] In 1969 Caputo was one of the four co-founders and a board member and principal stockholder of ICF, a management consulting company.

Initially focusing on energy and health care issues, the company later expanded into environmental businesses and began to build engineering capabilities.

Caputo's district included Yonkers, three towns in lower Westchester and the Woodlawn, Wakefield, Williamsbridge, Edenwald, Eastchester and Baychester sections of the Bronx.

[5] Incumbent Governor Hugh L. Carey, a Democrat, and his running mate Mario Cuomo, defeated the Duryea-Caputo ticket in the November general election.

[5] Following the 1978 elections Caputo served out his term in Congress and joined the management consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton in its mergers and acquisitions and banking departments.

Senator Jacob Javits, but withdrew after his main rival on the right, Alfonse D'Amato, secured the nomination of the Conservative party.

Early in 1982, Caputo announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who was seeking a second term.