Kushner served one term in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta before jumping to federal politics. He ran for a seat to the House of Commons of Canada in the federal electoral district of Calgary East in the 1979 Canadian federal election. He faced off against Ludwig who ran as a candidate for the federal Liberals and future Alberta MLA Barry Pashak and four other candidates. He won the district by a near landslide taking over 60% of the popular vote to pick up the new seat for the federal Progressive Conservatives.