[2] In 2004, he ran in the Queensland state election in the electoral district of Sandgate against the incumbent Labor MP Gordon Nuttall, however was unsuccessful despite a 10% swing to him.

[6][7][8] Whilst campaigning for the 2016 federal election, Howarth claimed the Coalition Government had put nearly $1.5 billion into infrastructure in Petrie over previous three years.

[11] He also played a key role in the leadership spill which removed Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull from his position, in 2018.

[12] During the 2019 election, Howarth enjoyed a significant swing in his favour, in line with other Liberal National Party candidates in Queensland, increasing his margin to 8.4%.

After speaking to ABC Radio National in his newly appointed role, Howarth came under fire for trying to "put a positive spin on [homelessness].