He became involved in the socialist movement when he was eighteen, and two years later joined both the Social Democratic Federation (SDF) and the Amalgamated Society of Engineers (ASE).
[1] Early in the 1900s, Gorman moved to Salford, where he was rapidly elected as assistant secretary of his branch of the ASE.
He was then elected in a 1923 by-election in Weaste ward, and became known for his campaign for the city to form a civic choir, but lost the seat in 1925.
[3][4] Gorman stood in Salford South at the 1918 United Kingdom general election, taking a distant second place, with 19.0% of the vote.
He was selected as the Labour Party candidate for Northwich in 1937, but although an election was expected in 1939 or 1940, it was not held due to World War II, and Gorman never contested the seat.