Bowman returned to the United Kingdom later in 2013, settling in Fife.
He "took up an active interest in politics" shortly afterwards and was subsequently selected as the Conservative Party candidate for the Dundee East constituency in August 2014 to fight the upcoming general election of the following year.
Finishing third, behind incumbent Scottish National Party (SNP) Member of Parliament (MP) Stewart Hosie and Labour's Lesley Brennan, later briefly a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP), Bowman captured 7,206 ballots, 15% of the total cast, a small reduction of 0.2% compared with the previous Conservative's vote share.
In a contemporary interview with the Financial Times, citing the predicted success of the SNP, Bowman stated: "A lot of people I know are very concerned about the move to the left.
The SNP is trying to out-Labour Labour, and Labour is trying to out-Labour itself".

A month later, in June 2015, he was selected to fight the equivalent Scottish Parliament constituency of Dundee City East for the Scottish Conservatives.
Despite increasing the party's vote share by 7.6% with 4,969 ballots, Bowman again finished third in the 2016 contest, behind incumbent MSP Shona Robison of the SNP and Labour's Richard McCready.
His campaign predominantly advertised job creation, investment in public amenities and a commitment to advocate for the decentralisation of Police Scotland.
As of September 2018, he is a permanent resident of the city.

Upon the death of Conservative MSP Alex Johnstone in December 2016, Bowman was selected to replace him as a representative for North East Scotland, having been positioned next on the regional list.
He was sworn in as an MSP on 21 December by taking his Oath of Allegiance in the chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
Having joined the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee, Bowman soon came under scrutiny by opposition politicians for selling nearly £30,000 worth of British American Tobacco shares on 12 January 2017, with Labour speculating whether he had done so on Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson's recommendation, perhaps in order to avoid public concern over vested interests.
Retorting, the Conservative group highlighted that "[Bowman] has declared his shareholdings openly and in line with procedure, as have many other MSPs."
Otherwise unusual for MSPs, he does not claim public funds to maintain a second abode in Edinburgh, the location of the Scottish Parliament, owing to his constituency's relative proximity to the legislature; that said, Bowman attracted further criticism after lodging £1,601 and £13,483 in dining and hotel accommodation expenses, respectively, dating from his accession to September 2018.
Bowman returned to the United Kingdom later in 2013, settling in Fife. He "took up an active interest in politics" shortly afterwards and was subsequently selected as the Conservative Party candidate for the Dundee East constituency in August 2014 to fight the upcoming general election of the following year. Finishing third, behind incumbent Scottish National Party (SNP) Member of Parliament (MP) Stewart Hosie and Labour's Lesley Brennan, later briefly a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP), Bowman captured 7,206 ballots, 15% of the total cast, a small reduction of 0.2% compared with the previous Conservative's vote share. In a contemporary interview with the Financial Times, citing the predicted success of the SNP, Bowman stated: "A lot of people I know are very concerned about the move to the left. The SNP is trying to out-Labour Labour, and Labour is trying to out-Labour itself".
A month later, in June 2015, he was selected to fight the equivalent Scottish Parliament constituency of Dundee City East for the Scottish Conservatives. Despite increasing the party's vote share by 7.6% with 4,969 ballots, Bowman again finished third in the 2016 contest, behind incumbent MSP Shona Robison of the SNP and Labour's Richard McCready. His campaign predominantly advertised job creation, investment in public amenities and a commitment to advocate for the decentralisation of Police Scotland. As of September 2018, he is a permanent resident of the city.
Upon the death of Conservative MSP Alex Johnstone in December 2016, Bowman was selected to replace him as a representative for North East Scotland, having been positioned next on the regional list. He was sworn in as an MSP on 21 December by taking his Oath of Allegiance in the chamber of the Scottish Parliament. Having joined the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee, Bowman soon came under scrutiny by opposition politicians for selling nearly £30,000 worth of British American Tobacco shares on 12 January 2017, with Labour speculating whether he had done so on Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson's recommendation, perhaps in order to avoid public concern over vested interests. Retorting, the Conservative group highlighted that "[Bowman] has declared his shareholdings openly and in line with procedure, as have many other MSPs." Otherwise unusual for MSPs, he does not claim public funds to maintain a second abode in Edinburgh, the location of the Scottish Parliament, owing to his constituency's relative proximity to the legislature; that said, Bowman attracted further criticism after lodging £1,601 and £13,483 in dining and hotel accommodation expenses, respectively, dating from his accession to September 2018.
Bill Bowman (Scottish politician)