James Wright has run for political office several times since the mid 1990s. In 1995, he ran as a libertarian for the District 8 seat that Kevin Brady won in a special runoff election in April 1996. Brady has held the seat since then.
In 2000, In 2000, he ran as a Republican for the District 24 seat. He was a write-in candidate in the 2002 U.S. Senate election that was won by former Texas Attorney General John Cornyn.