Smith, himself a former state representative and aide to former Texas Governor George W. Bush, has been a key player in Texas politics for decades.

Photo RTO Online - TARA lobbyist Terral Smith.

Texas Association of Rental Agencies (TARA) lobbyist Terral Smith, has been named the new Chief of Staff for Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick. Smith, himself a former state representative and aide to former Texas Governor George W. Bush, has been a key player in state politics for over 25 years.

At 33 years old, Smith was elected to represent the Austin District in 1981 and served until 1991 when he was nominated by President George Bush to be a federal judge. President Clinton took office before the appointment could be confirmed by the Senate.

In 1996, Smith served as legislative director for then Governor George W. Bush.

Although a Republican, Terral Smith is as bi-partisan as they come. Smith told RTO Online in a 2005 interview that Texas has a long tradition of bipartisanship. "As a Representative, I worked with Democrats and even became the chairman of a committee under a Democratic speaker."

Contrast this with Washington D.C. politics where Smith says, "In Washington, they divided along party lines 200 years ago and it's been that way ever since."