[5] Gudkov was first elected to the State Duma in a by-election of the Kolomna 106th District on 18 March 2001, joining the People's Party of the Russian Federation.

[4][15] In September of that year, he criticized a bill supported by United Russia allowing Gazprom, Transneft, and other corporations to train and arm private security forces, calling it a Pandora's box.

[18] In March 2009, he criticized legislation by Dmitry Medvedev to ban political parties with less than a 7% nationwide vote from parliament, saying that "only an incorrigible optimist could consider that a pro-democracy move".

[3] The following month, he broke ranks with his party's moderate criticism of Putin and warned that major street protests could result if United Russia committed electoral fraud in the impending election.

[21] In the speech, Gudkov stated that "our elections are a mix of abuse of administrative resources and work going ahead at full speed to ensure falsification".

[4] In January 2012, a secret recording of a conversation between Gudkov and politician Vladimir Ryzhkov was released in which the two appeared to discuss how to undermine other anti-Putin forces; the two called it a plot to sow distrust between opposition groups.

[24] Gennady Gudkov also spoke against the bill, stating that by removing outlets for protest, the legislation was putting Russia on "a sure path to a civil war".

[26] Following Gudkov's opposition, his private security firm, Oskord, became the target of "a campaign of raids and investigations from a variety of bodies, from the fire department to the Moscow architectural committee".

[26] In August 2012, a special committee of the Duma was formed to investigate allegations that Gudkov had violated parliamentary rules by making money from the construction firm Kolomensky Stroitel while also holding his seat.

[14] United Russia Deputy Andrei Isayev stated that Gudkov had to be stripped of his seat, arguing, "People expect fairness: Everyone is equal in the eyes of the law.

"[2] Analysts described the vote as part of a broader crackdown against Putin's critics, noting the recent charges against anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny.