He previously served three terms in the California State Assembly, representing the 32nd district and 12 years on the Kern County Board of Supervisors.

[7] He attended the College of the Sequoias and in 1983 received his Bachelor of Arts degree in public administration from California State University, Bakersfield.

[8][11][12] However, he marked a political shift after his DUI arrest by carrying an amendment of a section of the 1950 Welfare and Institutions Code which would eliminate a requirement of the Department of Mental Health to carry out research on "sexual deviants" (language which was expressly used against homosexuals when the WIC was passed in 1950); the carriage of the bill by Ashburn to unanimous passing by the Senate is the first pro-gay act vetted by Ashburn in his career.

[13] Ashburn was vice chair of the Legislative Audit and Public Employment and Retirement Committees in the Senate and was a member of the committees of Arts, Budget and Fiscal Review, Legislative Audit, Revenue and Taxation, Rules, and Transportation and Housing, and the subcommittees on California Ports and Goods Movement and Health and Human Services.

"[18][19] When asked during the interview whether he personally agreed with votes he made on gay rights issues, Ashburn didn't answer the question.

[21] Ashburn was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to a four-year term on the State of California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board.

[22] Ashburn ran for Kern County Supervisor in the June 2012 primary election and came in second place, allowing him to advance to the runoff.

[23] In the run-off election on November 6, 2012, Ashburn faced retired United States Navy Captain Mick Gleason, and lost by 20 points (40 to 60 percent).

[25][26][27] In a 2013 radio interview on First Look with Scott Cox, Ashburn revealed that he had a gay brother, who died of AIDS-related illness 20 years prior.