 In 1974, he was elected unopposed in the general election as a member of the Alabama House of Representatives, representing the 25th District, serving a single four-year term from 1975 through 1979 before his election to the Senate.He ran without Republican opposition again in both his first race and in 1982 as well as the special 1983 race the entire legislature had to run in.In 1986, Mitchem stepped down from the Senate and ran in the primary for Lieutenant Governor.