In 1874 Felton ran for the United States House of Representatives in Georgia's 7th Congressional District, located in the Northwestern part of the state. Felton ran as a reform-oriented Independent Democrat, winning election over the electoral opposition of the conservative Bourbon Democrats who dominated Georgia state politics. Felton's campaign was aided by the efforts of his wife, Rebecca Latimer Felton, who helped direct his political campaign and contributed political commentary, frequently pseudonymous, to the daily and weekly press around the state.