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He served as the Fayette County clerk prior to his election in 1971 to the Kentucky House of Representatives. Before entering Congress, he was a state senator from 1976 to 1978. During his tenure in Congress, Hopkins was a member of the House Armed Services Committee,<ref>Larry Jones Hopkins (1933-2021) - Find A Grave Memorial, accessed November 17, 2021.</ref> in which capacity he was a co-sponsor of the  Goldwater–Nichols Act, cosponsored by Republican [[Barry Goldwater]] of [[Arizona]] and Democrat William Flynt "Bill" Nichols (1918-1988) of [[Alabama]]. The law ordered the realignment of military bases across the nation.<ref>{{cite web|title=Statement on Signing the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986|url=https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/statement-signing-goldwater-nichols-department-defense-reorganization-act-1986|accessdate=November 17, 2021|publisher=Reagan Library}}</ref>  

He served as the Fayette County clerk prior to his election in 1971 to the Kentucky House of Representatives. Before entering Congress, he was a state senator from 1976 to 1978. During his tenure in Congress, Hopkins was a member of the House Armed Services Committee,<ref>Larry Jones Hopkins (1933-2021) - Find A Grave Memorial, accessed November 17, 2021.</ref> in which capacity he was a co-sponsor of the  Goldwater–Nichols Act, cosponsored by Republican [[Barry Goldwater]] of [[Arizona]] and Democrat William Flynt "Bill" Nichols (1918-1988) of [[Alabama]]. The law ordered the realignment of military bases across the nation.<ref>{{cite web|title=Statement on Signing the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986|url=https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/statement-signing-goldwater-nichols-department-defense-reorganization-act-1986|accessdate=November 17, 2021|publisher=Reagan Library}}</ref>  

In his gubernatorial race, Hopkins narrowly defeated Lawrence Eugene "Larry" Forgy, a [[Frankfort]] attorney<ref>Larry Jones Hopkins (1933-2021) - Find A Grave Memorial, accessed November 17, 2021.</ref> attorney who was the legal counsel to Republican former Governor [[Louie B. Nunn]]. Hopkins polled 81,526 votes (50.6 percent) in the [[primary]] to Forgy's 79,581 (49.4 percent)<ref>{{cite web|title=Jones, Hopkins in Kentucky race for Governor|publisher=''[[The Washington Post]]''|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1991/05/29/jones-hopkins-in-kentucky-race-for-governor/7b346b73-ab3d-492b-84b5-57543ab30d59/|date=May 29, 1991|accessdate=November 17,  2021}}</ref> Hopkins lost the general election to Brereton Jones (born 1939), who polled 540,468 votes (64.7 percent) to Hopkins'

In his gubernatorial race, Hopkins narrowly defeated Lawrence Eugene "Larry" Forgy, a [[Frankfort]] attorney<ref>Larry Jones Hopkins (1933-2021) - Find A Grave Memorial, accessed November 17, 2021.</ref> attorney who was the legal counsel to Republican former Governor [[Louie B. Nunn]]. Hopkins polled 81,526 votes (50.6 percent) in the [[primary]] to Forgy's 79,581 (49.4 percent)<ref>{{cite web|title=Jones, Hopkins in Kentucky race for Governor|publisher=''[[The Washington Post]]''|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1991/05/29/jones-hopkins-in-kentucky-race-for-governor/7b346b73-ab3d-492b-84b5-57543ab30d59/|date=May 29, 1991|accessdate=November 17,  2021}}</ref> Hopkins lost the general election to [[Brereton Jones]], a former West Virginia Republican-turned-Kentucky Democrat, who polled 540,468 votes (64.7 percent) to Hopkins' 294,452 (35.3 percent).<ref>{{cite web|date=May 29, 1991|title=Kentucky's No. 2 Wins Race For Democratic Nomination|publisher=''[[The New York Times]]''|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/29/us/kentucky-s-no-2-wins-race-for-democratic-nomination.html|accessdate=November 17, 2021}}</ref>

294,452 (35.3 percent).<ref>{{cite web|date=May 29, 1991|title=Kentucky's No. 2 Wins Race For Democratic Nomination|publisher=''[[The New York Times]]''|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/29/us/kentucky-s-no-2-wins-race-for-democratic-nomination.html|accessdate=November 17, 2021}}</ref>

Hopkins did not seek re-election to the House in 1992 because of his weak gubernatorial performance the year before and his role in the House banking scandal in which lawmakers made a habit of bouncing personal checks.<ref>{{cite web|author=Edward Walsh|date=November 4, 1991|title=Check-Bouncer Stumbles|publisher=''The Washington Post''|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1991/11/04/check-bouncer-stumbles/8c04bb20-5cbc-4bca-a532-951d55122329/|accessdate=November 17, 2021}}</ref> Hopkins was later exonerated of all charges and served as the director of the Tobacco Division of the Agricultural Marketing Service in the administration of [[U.S. President]] [[George Herbert Walker Bush]]. He also was a [[lobbyist]] for Lott & Hopkins LLC and Sonny Callahan & Associates LLC.<ref>{{cite web|title=Revolving Door: Larry J. Hopkins Employment Summary|publisher=OpenSecrets|url=https://10.33.2.182/revolving/rev_summary.php?id=28537|url-status=live|accessdate=November 17, 2021}}</ref>

Hopkins did not seek re-election to the House in 1992 because of his weak gubernatorial performance the year before and his role in the House banking scandal in which lawmakers made a habit of bouncing personal checks.<ref>{{cite web|author=Edward Walsh|date=November 4, 1991|title=Check-Bouncer Stumbles|publisher=''The Washington Post''|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1991/11/04/check-bouncer-stumbles/8c04bb20-5cbc-4bca-a532-951d55122329/|accessdate=November 17, 2021}}</ref> Hopkins was later exonerated of all charges and served as the director of the Tobacco Division of the Agricultural Marketing Service in the administration of [[U.S. President]] [[George Herbert Walker Bush]]. He also was a [[lobbyist]] for Lott & Hopkins LLC and Sonny Callahan & Associates LLC.<ref>{{cite web|title=Revolving Door: Larry J. Hopkins Employment Summary|publisher=OpenSecrets|url=https://10.33.2.182/revolving/rev_summary.php?id=28537|url-status=live|accessdate=November 17, 2021}}</ref>