Broten was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan in the 2007 provincial election as a member of the Saskatchewan NDP in the riding of Saskatoon Massey Place. In that election, the NDP lost 10 seats and went from a minority government to the official opposition. In the 2011 provincial election, Broten was one of just 9 NDP MLAs elected as the party was reduced to its smallest presence in the legislature since 1982. Party leader Dwain Lingenfelter lost his own seat and resigned following the election, triggering a leadership race that culminated in March of 2013.