Horton was elected as an Opposition Party candidate to the Thirty-fourth Congress and was reelected as a Republican to the Thirty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1859).
In the mid-19th century, Horton was chosen by the Opposition Party to represent the nation's interests in the Thirty-fourth Congress and later successfully defended his position as a Republican in the Thirty-fifth Congress, serving from March 4, 1855, to March 3, 1859.