Hinman worked for the
Reform Party of Canada in policy and election committees. He later worked for the
Conservative Party of Canada. He served as a board member for the federal Conservative Party of Canada in the electoral district of
Lethbridge. In provincial politics, he was the southern regional director for the
Alberta First Party. Hinman served as vice-president of policy for the Alberta Alliance Party from its founding convention on February 14, 2002, until he was named deputy leader on January 8, 2005.
Alberta Alliance Party MLA of Cardston-Taber-Warner As a candidate for the Alberta Alliance Party, Hinman was elected to his first term as the
Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing the constituency of
Cardston-Taber-Warner in the
2004 provincial election on November 22, 2004. He defeated incumbent
Broyce Jacobs the Progressive Conservatives candidate by 129 votes. Hinman was the only Alberta Alliance Party candidate elected in 2004.
Leadership election After the 2004 provincial election, former Alberta Alliance leader
Randy Thorsteinson stepped down as leader of the party. Hinman was one of four candidates who ran in the
2005 Alberta Alliance Party leadership election. The other three candidates were Ed Klop,
Marilyn Burns and David Crutcher. Hinman won the election on the third ballot at the leadership convention held on November 19, 2005, in Red Deer, Alberta.
Wildrose Alliance Under Hinman's leadership, the Alberta Alliance and the
Wildrose Party of Alberta merged to unite the right wing of the political spectrum in Alberta at a convention held on January 19, 2008, in Calgary. In the
2008 provincial election, Hinman lost to Jacobs by 39 votes after three recounts. The party also gained popular vote in most of the other ridings where it ran candidates, but did not win any seats. A year later, Hinman stepped down as leader of the Wildrose Alliance Party, triggering a leadership convention in October 2009 in Edmonton. Hinman remained interim leader of the Alliance until the election of
Danielle Smith as party leader on October 17.
Calgary-Glenmore by-election On May 15, 2009,
Calgary-Glenmore MLA
Ron Stevens announced his resignation to accept a position as a judge. Hinman ran in the ensuing by-election Hinman was selected as the Wildrose Alliance candidate and won the by-election with 37% of the vote.
Endorsement of Jason Kenney's UCP leadership campaign On September 8, 2017,
Danielle Smith of
NewsTalk770 and Hinman's successor as Wildrose leader announced that Hinman would be running for the
leadership of the newly formed
United Conservative Party (UCP). However, Hinman later declined to run and posted to his Twitter that he was endorsing
Jason Kenney. In December 2021, he told
Fort McMurray Today that he was no longer a supporter of Kenney or the UCP, and that "Jason Kenney and the UCP have betrayed us by not standing up to Ottawa."
Wildrose Independence Party Hinman was made interim leader of the
Wildrose Independence Party of Alberta in July 2020 and elected leader in 2021. The party campaigns on
Alberta separatism. It has no connection with the former
Wildrose Party that merged with the
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta to create the
United Conservative Party. Following
Jason Kenney's announcement on May 17, 2022, that he would be resigning as
premier of Alberta, Hinman was rumoured to be interested in running for leadership of the UCP. Hinman said he had no interest in leading the party and said the UCP's divisions that led to Kenney's resignation would help the Wildrose Independence Party with recruitment.
Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche by-election Hinman ran in the 2022
Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche by-election. Hinman was not a resident of the
Fort McMurray or
Lac La Biche regions, but denied he was an opportunist or ignorant of local issues facing the riding.
Leadership struggles and disputes with the board After the Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche by-election, the party began a review of Hinman's leadership and his performance in the by-election. After the review concluded, he was removed as party leader on June 28, 2022. The review accused Hinman of paying himself with party money during the by-election. The review also wrote that Hinman was not familiar with the needs and concerns shared by people living in the riding, despite his commentary on community issues at local forums and in interviews with
Harvard Media's CFVR-FM and
Fort McMurray Today. The review was not released publicly, but a copy was leaked to the
Western Standard. Hinman denied all of the party's accusations against him. He told
CTV News that the party was being taken over by "implants, plants, agents inside our board" who are opposed to an
independent Alberta. Hinman was reinstated as leader during the party's annual general meeting in Red Deer on July 23, 2022. The party's board of governors was forced out. A Court of King's Bench justice ruled on October 21 that Hinman had been legally removed as leader of the party and that the interim party leader was Jeevan Mangat. Hinman is appealing the decision. The party's board also accused Hinman and his supporters of disrupting the AGM and pressuring people to either leave or support Hinman. They are suing Hinman for $180,000. Hinman told the
Medicine Hat News he is focusing on his legal battles with the party's leadership and would not be running in the
Brooks-Medicine Hat by-election.
Wildrose Loyalty Coalition After being removed as leader of the Wildrose Independence Party, Hinman formed a new party called the
Wildrose Loyalty Coalition in early 2023. It became a registered party with
Elections Alberta on May 1, 2023. == Electoral record ==