The same year he founded his law office, Fong entered elected political life as a member of the Hawaii Territorial House of Representatives where he became Speaker of the House from 1948 to 1954. During this time, he was one of the foremost leaders in the fight to make Hawaii a state. He was forced into retirement when the Democratic Party of Hawaii successfully ended a Hawaii Republican Party stronghold over the Hawaii Territorial Legislature by voting most Republican incumbents out of office. Fong founded several businesses after leaving the legislature.
Upon achieving statehood through the Admission Act of 1959, Hawaii returned Fong to elected office becoming one of its first United States Senators. He served alongside former Governor of Hawaii Oren E. Long, a Democrat and popular territorial leader.
Fong sought civil rights legislation in the Senate and supported both the Vietnam War and President Nixon during the Watergate scandal.
Senator Fong was booed by a hearing audience for defending George Romney, Secretary of Housing and Development, in the wake of a real estate industry scandal.
He twice ran favorite son campaigns for the Republican presidential nomination, in 1964 and 1968.[9] In 1964, he became the first Asian-American to receive votes for president at a major party convention, receiving the votes of the Hawaii and Alaska delegations. Fong was the first Hawaii-born individual to run for President of the United States
1938年邝参选并当选夏威夷准州众议院议员。邝友良1942年应召入伍,在陆军航空队担任少校军法官,后来以空军后备上校退伍。1946年以共和党人的身份再度当选准州众议员,并担任四年副议长后又担任六年议长。另外他还是夏威夷州委员会成员,夏威夷宪法大会副主席。在此期间他同其它一些议员一起站在强烈主张夏威夷独立建州的第一线。在他的努力下,夏威夷州通过具有里程碑意义的新法案:同意农场工人建立工会,为自己争取应有的人权。
1959年夏威夷独立建州后邝当选为该州第一批联邦参议员。同他一同上任的是前夏威夷州长,一位民主党人。他当选后两度连任,直到1976年退休。他的近十八年参院生涯历经五任总统,问政表现则获得两党同僚一致高度肯定,被誉为“华人第一参政人”。他推动的各项民权法案,保障少数族裔的投票权,并使亚裔享有和其它各族裔同等的移民配额。
邝友良分别于1964年和1968年两次参选美国总统选举共和党内初选。在1964年他成为第一位在共和党党内初选中获得选票的亚裔候选人,他获得了夏威夷州及阿拉斯加州代表团的选票。