[3] On Election Day, November 3, 1971, McGahn defeated incumbent Frank S. Farley, who had served a total of 34 years in the New Jersey Legislature, to win a seat in the New Jersey Senate, in a race in which McGahn focused on corruption, in the wake of federal investigation of the Republican Party machine in Atlantic City.
[4] Shortly after taking office, McGahn was the cosponsor of a bill to bring casino gambling to New Jersey.
[5] He was described by The New York Times as the "principal architect" of legislation that brought casino gambling to Atlantic City.
[3] In 1974, McGahn pushed for legislation granting exemptions to healthcare institutions from a requirement to provide abortions or sterilizations if they objected on religious or moral grounds.
The bill passed the legislature and was signed into law by Governor Brendan Byrne despite his feelings that the legislation "may have gone too far".