"We were both good ol' boys. He had the winning personality, so I had to be your neighbor," Hance said.

As a "neighbor," Hance explained, his strategy was to paint Bush as an outsider. It proved to be a successful strategy--enough to overcome Bush's massive campaign warchest, acquired through his father's political ties, and give him a victory of 6 points.

With this first political defeat, Bush returned to his oil company. But the early 1980s marked a rough time for Bush's company, as declining oil prices drove down profits and forced him to merge his company with the Spectrum 7, a competitor.

Moving Out and Up

It took a milestone, his 40th birthday, to drive Bush to a decision to change his lifestyle, giving up alcohol and concentrating more on raising his twin daughters and enhancing his faith.

The political fortunes of his father had a great impact on this transformation. George W. Bush was pushed into the national spotlight with his father's 1988 presidential campaign.

In 1987, Bush began work on the campaign. Though he was given no official title, he nonetheless played a crucial role as a trusted adviser and speechwriter. The campaign work also gave Bush the opportunity to establish himself as a talented speaker as well as a chief link to Christian conservatives.

After his father's victory, Bush returned to Texas once again, where he embarked on the next major business venture of his life. He purchased a partial share of the Texas Rangers baseball team, allowing him to become more of a public figure in Texas as he attended all of the Rangers' home games.