He practiced law briefly and then worked for a time at his father's funeral home before entering politics in 1975.

In 1982, while still in office as mayor, Whitehurst ran against California Governor Jerry Brown for the Democratic nomination to the U.S.

[2] After leaving office in 1985, Whitehurst remained active in local politics.

His public service included the following: Whitehurst also served on various advisory committees for: Fresno State, Regional Medical Center, Central California Futures Institute, Boys and Girls Clubs, Fresno County Association for a UC Campus, Fresno Unified School District, Citizens for Community Enrichment (Arts to Zoo), Downtown Task Force (ULI Study) [3] Whitehurst practiced also law and was in various business ventures.

He again ran for mayor of Fresno in 2000, but he lost to Republican Alan Autry.