Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - Gibson ya shiga siyasa a matsayin memba na Jam'iyyar Whig tare da ra'ayoyin da suka saba wa bautar. A lokacin yakin neman zaben shugaban kasa na Amurka na 1844, ya ba da jawabai ga Henry Clay saboda dandalin Jam'iyyar Whig da ke adawa da shigar da Texas cikin Union saboda jihar bawa ce. A cikin yakin neman zaben shugabancin Amurka na 1848, Gibson ya goyi bayan dan takarar Whig, "Rough and Ready" Janar Zachary Taylor. Duk da haka, ya damu game da rashin adawa da Whig Party don kawar da bautar da kuma ziyarci Henry Clay a gidansa a Ashland, Kentucky a 1848 don tattauna wannan batu. Ya rasa a matsayin dan takarar Whig ga Ohio Attorney Janar a 1853. A shekara ta 1853, bayan babban rashin nasarar da dan takarar Whig Janar Winfield Scott ya yi a zaben Shugaban Amurka na 1852, Gibson ya ba da goyon bayansa ga Jam'iyyar Free Soil kuma ya fara shirya abin da zai zama Jam'iyyar Republican a Ohio. Ya halarci taron kungiyar farko na Jam'iyyar Republican a cikin bazara na 1856 a Pittsburgh. Ya kasance daya daga cikin wakilai 69 na Ohio (na jimillar wakilai 600 daga ko'ina cikin ƙasar) waɗanda suka halarci Babban Taron Republican na farko
wanda aka gudanar a Philadelphia a watan Yuni 1856. A shekara ta 1856, ya gudu kuma an zabe shi a matsayin dan Republican na farko da ya rike ofishin Ohio State Treasurer.