Prior to her election, Mossop was a well-known television personality in Hamilton, Ontario. She joined Hamilton television station CHCH in 1981, and remained a member of the station's reporting team for more than twenty years. She also served as a news anchor for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and wrote articles for the Hamilton Spectator.
Mossop's election to the Ontario legislature in the 2003 election took place under unusual circumstances. The original Liberal candidate for Stoney Creek was Tony Magnini, who was not generally regarded as a credible match for the Progressive Conservative incumbent, Brad Clark. Magnini was forced to resign after serious fraud allegations emerged in mid-campaign, however, and Mossop's last-minute candidacy reinvigorated the Liberal Party's organization in the riding. On election day, Mossop was able to defeat Clark by about 5,000 votes.