A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as state treasurer; then-governor Matt Mead appointed him to that position on October 26, 2012, to fill the vacancy created by the death of Joseph Meyer.

[4] In 2008, Gordon was an unsuccessful candidate in the Republican primary for the United States House of Representatives for Wyoming's at-large congressional district seat held by Barbara Cubin, who was retiring.

[5] Former U.S. senator Alan K. Simpson of Cody, considered a moderate Republican, defended Gordon's candidacy but stopped short of an outright endorsement because he was also friendly with Lummis.

He was sworn in as treasurer on November 1, 2012, by Wyoming Supreme Court Justice William Hill,[10][11] after being selected by Governor Matt Mead.

He won the Republican primary on August 21 and the general election on November 6, defeating Democratic state representative Mary Throne.

In 2021, a New York Times investigation revealed that Gordon had been targeted by hard-right conservatives, such as Susan Gore, the heiress to the Gore-Tex fortune.

[24] Part of this is due to Gordon's investment in renewable energy and policy on climate change, which led to a vote of no confidence by the state party.

[30] Mark Gordon has declined to take a formal stance on HB0063,[31] stating he prefers "local districts to address issues individually.

"[32] However, John Bear (Freedom Caucus member) condemns Gordon's neutrality as a failure to defend "biological reality" and parental rights, accusing him of appeasing "radical cultural agendas" instead of protecting Wyoming's conservative values.

[33][34] Gordon advocates balancing federal carbon capture investments with traditional energy sectors, calling it a "pragmatic transition".

[35] Ogden Driskill slams this approach as "subsidizing Biden’s war on coal," arguing Gordon's reliance on federal grants sacrifices state autonomy and threatens Wyoming's oil or gas workforce.