 He served as counsel to a committee of the Texas senate in 1973 and was elected to Texas house of representatives in a special election in 1974 and was reelected from 1974 to 1982.He was elected as a Democrat to the 98th Congress in 1982 and to the six succeeding Congresses, serving from 1983 to 1997.In 1996 Bryant was an unsuccessful candidate for nomination to the United States Senate election in Texas, 1996.