Shope began his political career when in 2008 he was elected to the Coolidge Unified School District Governing Board, and voted to be the board's Vice President upon taking office.
After serving one full term on the school board, Shope announced his candidacy in 2012 for the state House from the newly drawn 8th Legislative District, which encompasses the cities & towns of Coolidge, Florence, Casa Grande, Eloy, Mammoth, Hayden, Winkleman, Kearny, Globe, and Miami.