Larry Craig Bio
Lawrence Edwin Craig (born July 20, 1945) is an American retired politician who represented Idaho in the U.S. Congress for nearly three decades. A Republican, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Idaho’s 1st District from 1981 to 1991 and in the U.S. Senate from 1991 to 2009. Beyond politics, Craig has worked as a rancher and, after leaving office, as a consultant. His long career placed him at the center of major debates on immigration, veterans’ policy, and federal spending.
Early Life and Background
Larry Craig was born in Council, Idaho, the son of Dorothy Lenore (McCord) Craig and Elvin Oren Craig. He grew up on a ranch outside Midvale in Washington County, where his family raised livestock and built a working agricultural operation. The ranch environment shaped his lifelong interest in rural issues, land use, and Western political values.
Craig attended local schools in Washington County before enrolling at the University of Idaho, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1969. At the university, he was active in campus life, serving as student body president and joining the Delta Chi fraternity. He later pursued brief graduate studies at George Washington University before deciding to return home.
After completing his studies, Craig returned to his family’s Midvale ranching business in 1971. He also served in the Idaho Army National Guard from 1970 to 1972, attaining the rank of Private First Class and receiving an honorable discharge. These early years in ranching and military service helped form the practical, conservative outlook that would guide his political career.
Path to US Politics
Craig’s entry into politics began at the state level. In 1974, he won a seat in the Idaho State Senate, beginning a steady climb through elected office. He was reelected to the state senate in 1976 and again in 1978, building a reputation as a reliable conservative voice for rural Idaho.
Encouraged by his state-level success, Craig set his sights on Congress. In 1980, he ran for the U.S. House seat representing Idaho’s 1st Congressional District, an open seat left vacant when Republican Steve Symms moved to a U.S. Senate campaign. Craig won that race and went on to win reelection four times, serving in the House for a full decade.
During his time in the House, Craig supported President Ronald Reagan’s efforts to expand vocational education and served on the House Ethics Committee. Though he was not considered a dominant legislative force in the lower chamber, his steady record helped him prepare for a statewide run. In 1990, he successfully campaigned for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retiring James A. McClure, defeating Idaho Attorney General Jim Jones in the Republican primary and Democratic former state legislator Ron J. Twilegar in the general election with 61 percent of the vote.
Larry Craig Career
Early Career (1974-1980)
Craig’s early political career was rooted in the Idaho State Senate, where he served three terms representing his home region. His work focused on agricultural concerns, property rights, and the priorities of rural communities in Washington County and beyond. These years gave him direct experience in legislative negotiation and budget writing.
By the late 1970s, Craig had built a strong enough base to pursue a federal seat. When the opportunity arose in 1980, he organized a successful campaign for Idaho’s 1st Congressional District. His victory launched a ten-year run in the U.S. House of Representatives that would eventually lead to his move to the Senate.
U.S. House of Representatives Breakthrough (1981-1991)
From 1981 to 1991, Craig represented Idaho’s 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was reelected four times, establishing himself as a consistent conservative voice on issues affecting farmers, ranchers, and small-town communities. He supported President Reagan’s vocational education initiatives and worked to bring federal resources back to Idaho.
Craig served on the House Ethics Committee during a turbulent period in the early 1980s, when allegations of misconduct by unnamed members of Congress drew national attention. He publicly denied any personal involvement in the rumors and called such accusations despicable. In 1989, he was reported to have led an extended effort pushing for stricter punishment of Representative Barney Frank over a gay prostitution scandal, a stance that foreshadowed his later legislative priorities.
While in the House, Craig was not considered a major legislative force, but he built a strong reputation for constituent service. His record in the district helped him mount a successful Senate campaign in 1990, positioning him for a much larger platform on national issues.
U.S. Senate Era (1991-2009)
As a U.S. Senator, Craig built one of the longest tenures in Idaho history. He was reelected in 1996 with 57 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Walt Minnick, and again in 2002 with 65 percent of the vote, when he spent $3.2 million to defeat Alan Blinken. In 1995, he formed a barbershop quartet called The Singing Senators with fellow senators Trent Lott, John Ashcroft, and Jim Jeffords, reflecting his lighter side away from policy debates.
Craig served as Senate Republican Policy Committee chairman from 1997 until 2003, helping shape the party’s legislative message. After Republicans lost Senate control in the 2006 elections, he became ranking member of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and joined the Appropriations Committee and the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. He also served as the ranking member of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, a key post for a Western state with significant federal lands.
Throughout his Senate career, Craig championed a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution and supported President George W. Bush’s guest worker program. He was the principal sponsor of the AgJOBS bill, advocating legal status for hundreds of thousands of undocumented farm workers. In May 2003, he placed a hold on more than 200 Air Force promotions in an effort to secure four new C-130 cargo planes for Idaho. He also supported the Federal Marriage Amendment and voted against extending federal hate crimes protections to cover sexual orientation. In 1999, he publicly criticized President Bill Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky scandal during a televised appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press.
Notable Events and Milestones
On June 11, 2007, Craig was arrested at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport for lewd conduct in a men’s restroom after a police undercover officer accused him of soliciting sexual activity. He pleaded guilty by mail to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct in August 2007, paying $575 in fines and fees. The story was published by Roll Call on August 27, 2007, becoming a major national news story. On September 1, 2007, Craig announced he would resign effective September 30, 2007, but later reversed that decision. He did not seek reelection in 2008 and left office on January 3, 2009, succeeded by Lieutenant Governor Jim Risch. In 2014, a federal court ordered him to pay $242,535 to the U.S. Treasury for improperly using campaign funds to pay his legal defense.
Larry Craig Career Wins
Larry Craig compiled a long string of election victories across state and federal offices over more than three decades. He won three Idaho State Senate elections, five U.S. House races in Idaho’s 1st District, and three U.S. Senate contests, making him one of the most successful Republican politicians in Idaho history.
U.S. Senate Highlights
Craig first won his U.S. Senate seat in 1990 by defeating Ron J. Twilegar with 61 percent of the vote. He followed that with a 57 percent victory over Walt Minnick in 1996 and a dominant 65 percent win over Alan Blinken in 2002, when he invested $3.2 million of his own campaign funds. He did not seek reelection in 2008, leaving office on January 3, 2009.
Other Wins and Achievements
Craig was elected to the Idaho State Senate in 1974 and reelected in 1976 and 1978. He was then elected to the U.S. House in 1980 and reelected four times, serving Idaho’s 1st District from 1981 to 1991. In 2007, he was inducted into the Idaho Hall of Fame, recognizing his contributions to the state. He has also served on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association of America.
Larry Craig Family
Family Background and Lineage
Larry Craig is the son of Elvin Oren Craig and Dorothy Lenore (McCord) Craig. He was raised on the family’s ranch outside Midvale in Washington County, Idaho, where multiple generations worked the land. After completing his education and military service, he returned to operate the family ranching business before entering full-time politics.
Personal Life
Craig married Suzanne Scott in July 1983. Through the marriage, he adopted the three children she had from a previous marriage, and through those children he has nine grandchildren. After leaving the Senate in 2009, Craig opened the consulting firm New West Strategies with his former chief of staff Mike Ware, focusing on energy issues until the firm closed in 2019. In 2014, he served as the Idaho Republican Party financial chair.