A member of the Democratic Party, Bustamante also served in the California State Assembly and was the speaker from 1996 to 1998.

Bustamante earned his Bachelor of Arts via distance learning from California State University, Fresno, in 2003.

He was also the highest-ranking Hispanic officeholder in the United States until Bill Richardson became governor of New Mexico in 2003.

He was the most prominent Democrat to run in the 2003 California recall election to remove Governor Gray Davis, and placed second to Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, losing by 17 points.

Bustamante had an apparently icy relationship with Governor Davis, a fellow Democrat, during his tenure.

[5] He easily won the June 6, 2006, Democratic primary, receiving 70.5% of the vote and defeating his challenger, John Kraft.