Active in the Progress Party's Youth since 1989, he was the leader of its Telemark branch as well as central board member from 1996, before becoming its overall leader from 1999 to 2002. Hoksrud, who originally was third in line for the leadership, was elected after Robert Eriksson and Fredrik Färber declined the post. He was also employed as a political aide to the Progress Party parliamentary caucus, as well as serving as an organizational secretary for the party. Hoksrud started his career at age 18 as an elected politician as a member of Bamble municipal council from 1991 to 2011. Locally he was also a board member of Skiensfjordens Kommunale Kraftselskap from 1999 to 2000 and national board member of the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities from 2000 to 2005. He served as a deputy representative to the Parliament of Norway during the terms 1997–2001 and 2001–2005, and was elected as a full member in the 2005 parliamentary election. During his first term he sat on the Standing Committee on Transport and Communications, and after he was reelected in the 2009 parliamentary election he became the committees deputy leader. Hoksrud is one of Norway's most active members of parliament. According to the daily newspaper Aftenposten, Hoksrud was, along with fellow Progress Party politicians Ketil Solvik-Olsen and Torgeir Trældal, the politicians who submitted most formal questions to the Cabinet ministers during parliamentary sessions. Hoksrud was again re-elected in 2013. When Solberg's Cabinet assumed office following that election, Hoksrud was appointed as a State Secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Communications under Ketil Solvik-Olsen. His parliamentary seat was taken by deputy Kristian Norheim.
Views
An outspoken opponent of Toll roads in Norway, Hoksrud frequently accused the Red-green coalition government of "highway robbery", when charging drivers in order to finance future road projects. While he supports a massive increase in road- and railway spending and construction, he believes this should be financed through the state budget. He once referred to the Minister of TransportMagnhild Meltveit Kleppa as a "modern day highwayman, due to her support for toll roads. He has been criticized for allegedly disregarding cases where the Progress Party itself votes in favour of toll roads on the municipal level. Generally opposed to taxes and restrictions on automobiles, Hoksrud accused prime ministerJens Stoltenberg of having a "hidden agenda" when the latter proposed a ban on diesel cars during specific days, in order to reduce pollution of CO2 and NOx gases, as well as extra taxation for diesel-run cars. This was because the government had advised people to buy diesel-run cars earlier before the health hazards were known. Hoksrud called the plans "hopeless" and polls made indicated that only 40% of drivers would respect the ban.
The "Hoksrud affair"
On 21 September 2011, media outlet TV 2 reported that Hoksrud had visited a brothel in Riga, the capital of Latvia. He subsequently admitted having paid a Latvian prostitute for services. As this is punishable under Norwegian law, the party's then deputy leader, Per Sandberg, said that Hoksrud would resign from his political positions, if the party so wishes. Hoksrud later confirmed this by saying : "I naturally wish that the party be at least possible harm for something extraordinarily stupid I did at my spare-time. I am now aware that the police is to open investigation, and therefore I immediately resign from all of my mandates in the party". As he was popularly elected, he was unable by law to resign from parliament. He did however resign from the party's powerful Central Committee, where he was replaced by Pål Morten Borgli. In the end he received a fine of NOK 25.000, which he accepted. In the aftermath of the case, Hoksrud experienced an outpouring of support on social media, and despite being declared politically dead by veteran political analyst Kyrre Nakkim, was unanimously nominated for reelection towards the 2013 elections. He was subsequently reelected for a third term.
