Mike Crapo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.jpg) Crapo in 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States Senator fromIdaho | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office January 3, 1999 Serving with Jim Risch | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Dirk Kempthorne | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIdaho's2nd district | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1999 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Richard H. Stallings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Mike Simpson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 37thPresident pro tempore of the Idaho Senate | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 1988–1992 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Jim Risch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Jerry Twiggs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of theIdaho Senate from the32nd district | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office December 1, 1984 – December 1, 1992 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Mel Richardson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Michael Dean Crapo (1951-05-20)May 20, 1951 (age 74) Idaho Falls, Idaho, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Party | Republican | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Brigham Young University (BA) Harvard University (JD) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | Senate website Campaign website | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Michael Dean Crapo (/ˈkreɪpoʊ/KRAY-poh; born May 20, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician serving as theseniorUnited States senator fromIdaho, a seat he has held since 1999. A member of theRepublican Party, Crapo served from 1993 to 1999 as theU.S. representative forIdaho's 2nd congressional district.
Born inIdaho Falls, Crapo is a graduate ofBrigham Young University andHarvard Law School, practicing law in his home city throughout the 1980s. His brotherTerry Crapo was majority leader in theIdaho House of Representatives from 1968 to 1972. Crapo was elected to theIdaho Senate in 1984, and served asSenate president pro tempore from 1988 to 1992. He was elected to the U.S. House in 1992, and served three terms before being elected to the Senate in1998. He was reelected in2004,2010,2016, and2022.
Crapo is the dean ofIdaho's congressional delegation.
Crapo was born on May 20, 1951, inIdaho Falls, Idaho, to Melba (née Olsen) and George Crapo. He became an Eagle Scout in 1966. Crapo earned aBachelor of Arts,summa cum laude, inpolitical science fromBrigham Young University in 1973 and aJuris Doctor,cum laude, fromHarvard Law School in 1977.[1]
After graduating from law school, Crapo served for one year as alaw clerk to JudgeJames M. Carter of theU.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He then returned to Idaho to practice as a lawyer, joining his brotherTerry Crapo's law firm of Holden Kidwell Hahn & Crapo in Idaho Falls. In the 1980s, he became active in the Republican Party's campaigns for seats in the state legislature. His brother served inIdaho House of Representatives for four years as majority leader (1968 to 1972) and was considered a rising star in Idaho politics.[2] After Terry's death fromleukemia in 1982, Mike ran for an open seat in theIdaho Senate. He was elected to the State Senate in 1984, where he served until 1992. In 1988, Senate Presidentpro temporeJim Risch unexpectedly lost reelection to theIdaho Senate, and Crapo was elected by his colleagues to the president's position. He served as senate presidentpro tempore from 1988 to 1992.
On January 27, 1989, Crapo served as acting governor of Idaho for 12 hours while GovernorCecil D. Andrus was out of the state testifying before Congress and Lieutenant GovernorButch Otter was out of the state on business for his employer,Simplot. Andrus, aDemocrat, left Crapo a note saying, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do. ... P.S. The chair is comfortable, isn't it?"[3]
Crapo was elected toCongress in 1992, representingIdaho's 2nd congressional district in theUnited States House of Representatives. He served three terms from 1993 to 1999. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1998.
Crapo was elected to theU.S. Senate in1998. He succeeded fellow RepublicanDirk Kempthorne, who retired after one term to run forgovernor. In his Senate bid, as in his House campaigns, Crapo's campaign made signs that had amacron placed over the "a" in his name (Crāpo) to indicate its correct pronunciation ("Cray-poe").
Crapo was reelected in2004 with 99.2% of the vote, with the other .8% going to a write-in candidate, Democrat Scott McClure.[4]
In2010, Crapo was reelected to a third term with 71% of the vote, defeatingDemocratic nominee P. Tom Sullivan andConstitution Party nominee Randy Bergquist.
In2016, Crapo was reelected to a fourth term with 66% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Jerry Sturgill and Constitution Party nominee Ray Writz. In October 2016, after theDonald Trump and Billy Bush recording came to light, Crapo said he would not vote for Trump.[5] He later reversed that decision.[6]
In2022, Crapo was reelected to a fourth term with 61% of the vote, defeating Democratic, Independent, Constitution, and Libertarian nominees.[7]
On February 12, 1999, Crapo was one of 50 senators to vote toconvict of impeachable offenses and to remove Bill Clinton from office.[8]
In the 111th Congress, Crapo served on the following Senate committees: Banking, Housing and Urban Development; Budget; Environment and Public Works; Indian Affairs; and Finance. He co-chairs the Senate Nuclear Caucus, the Canada-U.S. Inter-parliamentary Group (IPG); the COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) Caucus, which he founded; and the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus.
Crapo became the state's senior senator when the111th United States Congress convened on January 3, 2009, succeedingLarry Craig, who decided not to seek reelection. At the convening of the112th United States Congress, Crapo ranked 39th in seniority in the Senate.
He opposed PresidentBarack Obama's health reform legislation, voted against thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act in December 2009,[9] and voted against theHealth Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.[10]
In April 2013, Crapo was one of 46 senators to vote against a bill that would have expanded background checks for all gun buyers. He voted with 40 Republicans and 5 Democrats to stop passage of the bill.[11]
The New York Times noted that Crapo became "something of a hero among advocates of bipartisanship" for his involvement in the "Gang of Six".[12]
In 2017, Crapo was one of 22 senators to sign a letter[13] to PresidentDonald Trump urging him to withdraw the United States from theParis Agreement.
Crapo's view on senatorial responsibilities for Supreme Court nominees has evolved. Of PresidentGeorge W. Bush's 2006 nomination ofSamuel Alito, Crapo said in a press release, "All of the President's nominees deserve up-and-down votes and not efforts to obstruct judicial nominees for political purposes. Judges are not politicians, and hopefully, Judge Alito's nomination will put an end to the politics which have crept into the nomination process."[14] By contrast, in 2016, his press release regarding President Obama's nomination ofMerrick Garland to replace the lateAntonin Scalia said:
The Constitution gives the President the right to make nominations to the Supreme Court, with the advice and consent of the Senate. As part of its role in this process, the Senate may, at its discretion, withhold consent. The next Supreme Court justice will make decisions that affect every American and shape our nation's legal landscape for decades. Therefore, the current Supreme Court vacancy should be filled by an individual nominated by the next President of the United States.[15]
In September 2020, with less than two months to the next presidential election, Crapo voiced support for an immediate Senate vote on Trump's nominee to fill the Supreme Court vacancy caused by the death of justiceRuth Bader Ginsburg, once a "well-qualified candidate" was put forth.[16]
For his tenure as the chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee during the 116th Congress, Crapo was given an "F" grade from the non-partisanLugar Center's Congressional Oversight Hearing Index.[17]
On January 6, 2021, Crapo was participating in the certification of the2021 United States Electoral College vote count when Trump supportersattacked the United States Capitol. In response, he called for "perpetrators" to be "prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law".[18] He opposed removing Trump from office, saying that the "country is too divided" and that invoking theTwenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution "would only make matters worse".[19]
In October 2023, Crapo visited China as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation led by Senate Majority LeaderChuck Schumer and met withGeneral Secretary of the Chinese Communist PartyXi Jinping. Crapo said he would raise concerns about market-access on behalf ofMicron Technology, which faced restrictions in China. The delegation also met Director of theOffice of the Central Foreign Affairs CommissionWang Yi,Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's CongressZhao Leji, andShanghai Communist Party SecretaryChen Jining.[20]
In September 2025, Crapo chaired a heated three-hour Senate hearing withRobert F. Kennedy Jr. Crapo deniedRon Wyden's request to have Kennedy formally sworn in as a witness.[21]
Source:[22]
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Crapo is considered politicallyconservative. The American Conservative Union's Center for Legislative Accountability gives him a lifetime conservative rating of 91.30.[23] Americans for Democratic Action gave him a liberalism score of 5 out of a possible 100 in 2020.[24]
Crapo isanti-abortion. In 1998, he supported a bill that made it illegal for minors to cross state lines to get abortions in order to avoid parental consent laws.[25] In 2009, he voted to restrict UN funding for population control policies.[26] Crapo praised theoverturning ofRoe v. Wade in June 2022.[27][non-primary source needed]
Crapo is a proponent ofnuclear energy. He supports the nuclear energy projects at theIdaho National Laboratory (INL)[28] and helped work on the nuclear-related Senate bills known as the Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act (NEICA) and theNuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (NEIMA).[29] The former bill helped establish the National Reactor Innovation Center at the INL.[28]
In 2012, Crapo said that moregun control regulations would not curb violence in the United States. He also said that he supported efforts to improvemental health access rather than more gun laws.[30]
Crapo has received multiple "A+" grades from theNational Rifle AssociationPolitical Victory Fund (NRA) for his voting record on causes supported by the NRA.[31][32] The same year, he joined 12 other senators vowing tofilibuster any attempts by Democrats to introduce additional gun control regulations in the wake of theSandy Hook Elementary School shooting.[33] Crapo also supported legislation to makeopen carry legal inNational Parks.[34]
In January 2017, the NRA praised Crapo for introducing the Hearing Protection Act, which would make access togun silencers easier.[35]
In response to the2017 Las Vegas shooting, Crapo called for "solidarity" and praised first responders.[36] The Hearing Protection Act bill was tabled in wake of the shooting.[37]
In 2024, Crapo argued that proposed Republican tax cut extensions do not need to be offset with measures to prevent the tax cuts from adding to the deficit.[38] He supports endingIRS Direct File, which allows citizens to file taxes for free.[39]
In 2022, Crapo was among the 11 senators who voted against theHonoring our PACT Act of 2022, a bill that funded research and benefits for up to 3.5 million veterans exposed to toxic substances during their service.[40][41]
Crapo married Susan Diane Hasleton in June 1974, and they have five children. He is a member ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[42]
Crapo was diagnosed withprostate cancer in 1999 and underwent a radicalprostatectomy in January 2000. He had a full recovery and was declared cancer-free. In 2005 he had a recurrence of prostate cancer, and underwent a series of radiation treatments. He has become active in advocating early detection tests for cancer and other treatable diseases. Crapo has also pushed to create a federal Office of Men's Health.[43]
Crapo is anEagle Scout, awarded in 1966. He received theDistinguished Eagle Scout Award (DESA) in 2000.
On January 4, 2013, Crapo pleaded guilty toDUI in connection with a December 2012 incident and received the standard punishment for a first-time offender in Virginia.[44] He issued a public apology just after his arrest,[45] and various Idaho media outlets criticized him in light of his religion's temperance tenets.[46][47]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Crapo | 110,205 | 87.27% | |
| Republican | Matt Lambert | 16,075 | 12.73% | |
| Total votes | 126,280 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Crapo | 262,966 | 69.54% | +13.01% | |
| Democratic | Bill Mauk | 107,375 | 28.39% | −15.08% | |
| Natural Law | George J. Mansfeld | 7,833 | 2.07% | N/A | |
| Majority | 155,591 | 41.14% | +28.10% | ||
| Turnout | 378,174 | ||||
| Republicanhold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Crapo (incumbent) | 118,286 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 118,286 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Crapo (incumbent) | 499,796 | 99.18% | +29.64% | |
| Democratic | Scott F. McClure (write-in) | 4,136 | 0.82% | ||
| Majority | 495,660 | 98.36% | +57.22% | ||
| Total votes | 503,932 | 100.0% | +125,578 | ||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Crapo (incumbent) | 127,332 | 79.3% | |
| Republican | Claude "Skip" Davis | 33,150 | 20.7% | |
| Total votes | 160,482 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Michael Crapo (incumbent) | 319,953 | 71.19% | −27.99% | |
| Democratic | Tom Sullivan | 112,057 | 24.93% | N/A | |
| Constitution | Randy Bergquist | 17,429 | 3.88% | N/A | |
| Majority | 207,896 | 46.26% | |||
| Total votes | 449,439 | 100.00% | |||
| Republicanhold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Crapo (incumbent) | 119,633 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 119,633 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Crapo (incumbent) | 449,017 | 66.13% | −5.06% | |
| Democratic | Jerry Sturgill | 188,249 | 27.73% | +2.80% | |
| Constitution | Ray J. Writz | 41,677 | 6.14% | +2.26% | |
| Total votes | 678,943 | 100.0% | N/A | ||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Crapo (incumbent) | 177,906 | 67.1% | |
| Republican | Scott Trotter | 27,699 | 10.5% | |
| Republican | Brenda Bourn | 21,612 | 8.2% | |
| Republican | Ramont Turnbull | 20,883 | 7.9% | |
| Republican | Natalie Fleming | 16,902 | 6.4% | |
| Total votes | 265,002 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Crapo (incumbent) | 358,539 | 60.6% | ||
| Democratic | David Roth | 169,808 | 28.7% | ||
| Independent | Scott Cleveland | 49,917 | 8.4% | ||
| Constitution | Ray Writz | 8,500 | 1.4% | ||
| Libertarian | Idaho Sierra Law | 4,126 | 0.7% | ||
| Total votes | 590,890 | 100.00% | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
Media related toMike Crapo at Wikimedia Commons
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIdaho's 2nd congressional district 1993–1999 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. senator fromIdaho (Class 3) 1998,2004,2010,2016,2022 | Most recent |
| Preceded by | Senate Republican Chief Deputy Whip 2013–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by Dirk Kempthorne | U.S. senator (Class 3) from Idaho 1999–present Served alongside:Larry Craig,Jim Risch | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theSenate Banking Committee 2013–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Chair of theSenate Banking Committee 2017–2021 | ||
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theSenate Finance Committee 2021–2025 | Succeeded by |
| Chair of theSenate Finance Committee 2025–present | Incumbent | |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | Order of precedence of the United States as United States Senator | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States senators by seniority 9th | |
Statewide political officials ofIdaho | ||
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| Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (1970–present) | ||
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| Class 3 | ||
| Territorial (1863–1890) |
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| Oneat-large seat (1890–1913) |
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| Two at-large seats (1913–1919) |
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