Lawrence Edwin Craig (born July 20, 1945) is an American former politician who represented Idaho in the United States Senate from 1991 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he also represented Idaho's 1st district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1981 to 1991.
Born Jul 20, 1945Last edited Oct 15, 2026, 3:25 PM
On June 11, 2007, Craig was arrested for indecent behavior in a men's restroom at Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport; he pleaded guilty to a charge of in August 2007 and paid $575 in court fines and fees. The arrest remained unknown to the public until the –based newspaper disclosed it in an article, drawing widespread public attention as well as charges of against Craig, as he had been an opponent of . Despite stating that he was not and never had been , on September 1, 2007, Craig announced that he would resign from the Senate, effective September 30, 2007. He later reversed this decision and chose to finish the remainder of his term, although he did not seek re-election in .
This page is based on “Larry Craig” from English Wikipedia, (r1366879992) CC BY-SA 4.0 used under the license. The original authors are listed in its page history.
Craig married Suzanne Scott in July 1983 and adopted the three children she had from a previous marriage.87 Through his adopted children, Craig has nine grandchildren.9
Political career
Craig was elected to the Idaho Senate in 1974 and reelected in 1976 and 1978.9
In 1980, Craig was elected to an open seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Idaho's 1st congressional district. He succeeded Republican Steve Symms, who was leaving the House to run for election to the Senate against incumbent Democrat Frank Church. Craig was re-elected four times, serving until 1991. While in the House, he supported President Ronald Reagan's push to expand vocational education. Craig was not a major force as a legislator during his time in the House.10
Allegations of cocaine use and sex with male teenage congressional pages by unnamed congressmen were pursued by investigators and journalists in 1982.11 Craig issued a statement denying involvement.12 He stated, "Persons who are unmarried as I am, by choice or by circumstance, have always been the subject of innuendos, gossip and false accusations. I think this is despicable."7
Craig served on the House Ethics Committee. In 1989, he was reported to have led an extended effort that pushed for more severe punishment of Representative Barney Frank for his involvement in a gay prostitution scandal.1314
In 1999, Craig became sharply critical of U.S. President Bill Clinton for the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Speaking on NBC's Meet The Press, Craig told Tim Russert: "The American people already know that Bill Clinton is a bad boy – a naughty boy. I'm going to speak out for the citizens of my state, who in the majority think that Bill Clinton is probably even a nasty, bad, naughty boy."16
In May 2003, Craig put a hold on more than 200 Air Force promotions in an attempt to pressure the Air Force to station four new C-130 cargo planes in Idaho, saying he received a commitment from the Air Force almost seven years earlier that the planes would be delivered. Defense Department officials said the reason the C-130s had not been sent to Idaho was that no new aircraft were being manufactured for the type of transport mission done by the Idaho Air National Guard unit where Craig wanted the planes delivered.19
Craig supported the guest worker program proposed by President George W. Bush. In April 2005, Craig tried to amend an Iraq War supplemental bill with an amendment that would have granted legal status to between 500,000 and one million illegal immigrants in farm work. The amendment failed with 53 votes (60 votes were needed because the amendment was not relevant to the underlying bill).20 A version of the AgJOBS legislation was included in the Senate-passed immigration reform bill in 2006. Craig, the principal sponsor of AgJOBS, continues to support amnesty for illegal immigrants who are "trusted workers with a significant work history in American agriculture."21 This position has been sharply criticized by anti-illegal immigration activists.22 On June 26, 2007, Craig reiterated his support for the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007.
In October 2005, Craig suggested that flooded sections of New Orleans should be abandoned after Hurricane Katrina had hit and was quoted on a Baton Rouge television station as saying that "Fraud is in the culture of Iraqis. I believe that is true in the state of Louisiana as well."23
On December 16, 2005, Craig voted against a cloture motion filed relative to the USA PATRIOT Act; the motion ultimately earned only 52 votes, and so a Democratic filibuster against extension of the act (due to expire at the end of 2005) was allowed to continue.24 On December 21, 2005, Craig backed a six-month extension of the Act while further negotiations took place.25 On February 9, 2006, Craig announced an agreement among himself, the White House, and fellow Senators John E. Sununu, Arlen Specter, Lisa Murkowski, Chuck Hagel and Richard Durbin to reauthorize the Act.26
Craig supported the Federal Marriage Amendment, which barred extension of rights to same-sex couples; he voted for cloture on the amendment in both 2004 and 2006, and was a cosponsor in 2008.27 However, in late 2006 he appeared to endorse the right of individual states to create same-sex civil unions, but said he would vote "yes" on an Idaho constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages when pressured to clarify his position by the anti-gay rights advocacy group Families for a Better Idaho.28 Craig voted against cloture on a 2002 bill which would have extended the federal definition of hate crimes to cover sexual orientation.29 This legislation was passed in 2007 in both the House and the Senate as the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007. Craig voted against the measure.30
Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
Subcommittee on Homeland Security
Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans' Affairs, and Related Agencies
Committee on Environment and Public Works
Subcommittee on Public Sector Solutions to Global Warming, Oversight, and Children's Health Protection
Subcommittee on Superfund and Environmental Health
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
Subcommittee on Energy
Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests
Subcommittee on Water and Power
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Special Committee on Aging
2007 arrest and aftermath
On June 11, 2007, Craig was arrested at the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport for lewd conduct in a men's restroom.32 He was accused of soliciting a male undercover police officer for sexual activity.33 During the resulting interview with the arresting officer, Craig insisted upon his innocence, disputing the officer's version of the event by stating that he merely had a "wide stance" and that he had been picking up a piece of paper from the floor.33
Craig was charged with interference with privacy, a gross misdemeanor offense, and a disorderly conduct misdemeanor.34 Despite his statements of innocence during the police interview, Craig pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct by signing and mailing a plea petition, dated August 1, 2007, to the Hennepin County District Court.343536 Including fines and fees, he paid $575. Craig signed the petition to enter his guilty plea, which contained the provisions, "I understand that the court will not accept a plea of guilty from anyone who claims to be innocent... I now make no claim that I am innocent of the charge to which I am entering a plea of guilty." Craig mailed his signed petition to the court, and his petition to plead guilty to the misdemeanor charge was accepted and filed by the court on August 8, 2007.3435
On August 27, 2007, Roll Call published a story about Craig's arrest at the Minneapolis–St. Paul Airport and his subsequent guilty plea in that case.37 The following day, the Idaho Statesman published a story about prior allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior by Craig.7
In an August 28, 2007 press conference, Craig regretted filing the guilty plea, stating "In hindsight, I should not have pled guilty. I was trying to handle this matter myself quickly and expeditiously."3839
The Craig scandal became a major national news story.40
At a news conference on September 1, 2007, Craig announced his intent to resign, "with sadness and deep regret", effective September 30, 2007. On September 4, 2007, a spokesperson for Craig indicated that he was reconsidering his decision to resign,41 if his conviction was rapidly overturned and his committee assignments were restored.42 The following week, Craig's attorneys filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea, arguing that it "was not knowing and intelligent and therefore was in violation of his constitutional rights."43 The motion was ultimately denied, upholding the initial guilty plea.44 The controversy forced Craig to step down from his position as liaison to the Senate on the Romney campaign.45 Craig vehemently denied wrongdoing and said, "I am not gay. I never have been gay."46
Following the ruling, Craig announced that despite his previous statements to the contrary, he would serve out his Senate term. He stated that he intended to "continue my effort to clear my name in the Senate Ethics Committee—something that is not possible if I am not serving in the Senate."47 Craig did not seek reelection in 2008 and left office on January 3, 2009.48 Craig was succeeded by Lieutenant Governor and former Governor Jim Risch.49
Both the 2009 documentary Outrage and the magazine Newsweek (June 7, 2010 issue) listed Craig, among others, as a conservative politician with a record of anti-gay legislation who was caught in a gay sex scandal.50
In June 2012, the Federal Election Commission sued Craig for repayment of $217,000 of campaign funds which he used to pay for his defense in his criminal case. In an August 2012 filing, Craig's lawyer Andrew Herman wrote "Not only was the trip itself constitutionally required, but Senate rules sanction reimbursement for any cost relating to a senator's use of a bathroom while on official travel"; the filing cited an FEC ruling that allowed former Congressman Jim Kolbe to use campaign funds for his legal defense in the Mark Foley scandal.51 A federal court in Washington, D.C. determined that he improperly paid his attorneys in this matter from his campaign funds, and Craig was ordered in 2014 to pay the Treasury $242,535.52 On March 4, 2016, the U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed that judgment.5354
Other activities
Craig was inducted into the Idaho Hall of Fame in 2007.55
After his retirement, Craig opened the consulting firm New West Strategies with his former chief of staff Mike Ware, focusing on energy issues.58 The consulting firm shut down in 2019.59
Evans, Rowland; Novak, Robert (October 17, 1989). "What to do about Barney Frank: Congress faces nasty confrontation on handling sexual misconduct". Austin American Statesman. Austin, Texas. p. A.8. Word spread through the GOP cloakroom that Rep. Larry Craig of Idaho was standing firm inside the Ethics Committee. ↩
Povich, Elaine S. (July 27, 1990). "Frank reprimanded for aiding prostitute". Chicago Tribune. p. 4. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020. The ethics committee, officially known as the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, had unanimously recommended that Frank be reprimanded and Frank did not contest the charge. But the committee was severely split, took months to make up its mind on the punishment, and during the vote Thursday three GOP members of the panel-Reps. Thomas Petri of Wisconsin, Larry Craig of Idaho and Jim Hansen of Utah-voted for censure, the more severe sanction. ↩
S.J.RES.43Archived January 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to marriage. ↩
State Of Minnesota vs Larry Edwin Craig. Case No. 27-Cr-07-043231. (Hennepin County District Court February 7, 2007), Text, archived from the original on November 18, 2007. Note: In order to access the records, search by name or case number in the Criminal/Traffic/Petty Case Records database. ↩↩2↩3
"Craig, Larry (Board Member)". NRA On The Record. Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. June 9, 2014. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2023. ↩
On June 11, 2007, Craig was arrested for indecent behavior in a at ; he pleaded guilty to a charge of in August 2007 and paid $575 in court fines and fees. The arrest remained unknown to the public until the –based newspaper disclosed it in an article, drawing widespread public attention as well as charges of against Craig, as he had been an opponent of . Despite stating that he was not and never had been , on September 1, 2007, Craig announced that he would resign from the Senate, effective September 30, 2007. He later reversed this decision and chose to finish the remainder of his term, although he did not seek re-election in .
Craig married Suzanne Scott in July 1983 and adopted the three children she had from a previous marriage.87 Through his adopted children, Craig has nine grandchildren.9
Political career
Craig was elected to the Idaho Senate in 1974 and reelected in 1976 and 1978.9
In 1980, Craig was elected to an open seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Idaho's 1st congressional district. He succeeded Republican Steve Symms, who was leaving the House to run for election to the Senate against incumbent Democrat Frank Church. Craig was re-elected four times, serving until 1991. While in the House, he supported President Ronald Reagan's push to expand vocational education. Craig was not a major force as a legislator during his time in the House.10
Allegations of cocaine use and sex with male teenage congressional pages by unnamed congressmen were pursued by investigators and journalists in 1982.11 Craig issued a statement denying involvement.12 He stated, "Persons who are unmarried as I am, by choice or by circumstance, have always been the subject of innuendos, gossip and false accusations. I think this is despicable."7
Craig served on the House Ethics Committee. In 1989, he was reported to have led an extended effort that pushed for more severe punishment of Representative Barney Frank for his involvement in a gay prostitution scandal.1314
In 1999, Craig became sharply critical of U.S. President Bill Clinton for the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Speaking on NBC's Meet The Press, Craig told Tim Russert: "The American people already know that Bill Clinton is a bad boy – a naughty boy. I'm going to speak out for the citizens of my state, who in the majority think that Bill Clinton is probably even a nasty, bad, naughty boy."16
In May 2003, Craig put a hold on more than 200 Air Force promotions in an attempt to pressure the Air Force to station four new C-130 cargo planes in Idaho, saying he received a commitment from the Air Force almost seven years earlier that the planes would be delivered. Defense Department officials said the reason the C-130s had not been sent to Idaho was that no new aircraft were being manufactured for the type of transport mission done by the Idaho Air National Guard unit where Craig wanted the planes delivered.19
Craig supported the guest worker program proposed by President George W. Bush. In April 2005, Craig tried to amend an Iraq War supplemental bill with an amendment that would have granted legal status to between 500,000 and one million illegal immigrants in farm work. The amendment failed with 53 votes (60 votes were needed because the amendment was not relevant to the underlying bill).20 A version of the AgJOBS legislation was included in the Senate-passed immigration reform bill in 2006. Craig, the principal sponsor of AgJOBS, continues to support amnesty for illegal immigrants who are "trusted workers with a significant work history in American agriculture."21 This position has been sharply criticized by anti-illegal immigration activists.22 On June 26, 2007, Craig reiterated his support for the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007.
In October 2005, Craig suggested that flooded sections of New Orleans should be abandoned after Hurricane Katrina had hit and was quoted on a Baton Rouge television station as saying that "Fraud is in the culture of Iraqis. I believe that is true in the state of Louisiana as well."23
On December 16, 2005, Craig voted against a cloture motion filed relative to the USA PATRIOT Act; the motion ultimately earned only 52 votes, and so a Democratic filibuster against extension of the act (due to expire at the end of 2005) was allowed to continue.24 On December 21, 2005, Craig backed a six-month extension of the Act while further negotiations took place.25 On February 9, 2006, Craig announced an agreement among himself, the White House, and fellow Senators John E. Sununu, Arlen Specter, Lisa Murkowski, Chuck Hagel and Richard Durbin to reauthorize the Act.26
Craig supported the Federal Marriage Amendment, which barred extension of rights to same-sex couples; he voted for cloture on the amendment in both 2004 and 2006, and was a cosponsor in 2008.27 However, in late 2006 he appeared to endorse the right of individual states to create same-sex civil unions, but said he would vote "yes" on an Idaho constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages when pressured to clarify his position by the anti-gay rights advocacy group Families for a Better Idaho.28 Craig voted against cloture on a 2002 bill which would have extended the federal definition of hate crimes to cover sexual orientation.29 This legislation was passed in 2007 in both the House and the Senate as the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007. Craig voted against the measure.30
Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
Subcommittee on Homeland Security
Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans' Affairs, and Related Agencies
Committee on Environment and Public Works
Subcommittee on Public Sector Solutions to Global Warming, Oversight, and Children's Health Protection
Subcommittee on Superfund and Environmental Health
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
Subcommittee on Energy
Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests
Subcommittee on Water and Power
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Special Committee on Aging
2007 arrest and aftermath
On June 11, 2007, Craig was arrested at the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport for lewd conduct in a men's restroom.32 He was accused of soliciting a male undercover police officer for sexual activity.33 During the resulting interview with the arresting officer, Craig insisted upon his innocence, disputing the officer's version of the event by stating that he merely had a "wide stance" and that he had been picking up a piece of paper from the floor.33
Craig was charged with interference with privacy, a gross misdemeanor offense, and a disorderly conduct misdemeanor.34 Despite his statements of innocence during the police interview, Craig pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct by signing and mailing a plea petition, dated August 1, 2007, to the Hennepin County District Court.343536 Including fines and fees, he paid $575. Craig signed the petition to enter his guilty plea, which contained the provisions, "I understand that the court will not accept a plea of guilty from anyone who claims to be innocent... I now make no claim that I am innocent of the charge to which I am entering a plea of guilty." Craig mailed his signed petition to the court, and his petition to plead guilty to the misdemeanor charge was accepted and filed by the court on August 8, 2007.3435
On August 27, 2007, Roll Call published a story about Craig's arrest at the Minneapolis–St. Paul Airport and his subsequent guilty plea in that case.37 The following day, the Idaho Statesman published a story about prior allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior by Craig.7
In an August 28, 2007 press conference, Craig regretted filing the guilty plea, stating "In hindsight, I should not have pled guilty. I was trying to handle this matter myself quickly and expeditiously."3839
The Craig scandal became a major national news story.40
At a news conference on September 1, 2007, Craig announced his intent to resign, "with sadness and deep regret", effective September 30, 2007. On September 4, 2007, a spokesperson for Craig indicated that he was reconsidering his decision to resign,41 if his conviction was rapidly overturned and his committee assignments were restored.42 The following week, Craig's attorneys filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea, arguing that it "was not knowing and intelligent and therefore was in violation of his constitutional rights."43 The motion was ultimately denied, upholding the initial guilty plea.44 The controversy forced Craig to step down from his position as liaison to the Senate on the Romney campaign.45 Craig vehemently denied wrongdoing and said, "I am not gay. I never have been gay."46
Following the ruling, Craig announced that despite his previous statements to the contrary, he would serve out his Senate term. He stated that he intended to "continue my effort to clear my name in the Senate Ethics Committee—something that is not possible if I am not serving in the Senate."47 Craig did not seek reelection in 2008 and left office on January 3, 2009.48 Craig was succeeded by Lieutenant Governor and former Governor Jim Risch.49
Both the 2009 documentary Outrage and the magazine Newsweek (June 7, 2010 issue) listed Craig, among others, as a conservative politician with a record of anti-gay legislation who was caught in a gay sex scandal.50
In June 2012, the Federal Election Commission sued Craig for repayment of $217,000 of campaign funds which he used to pay for his defense in his criminal case. In an August 2012 filing, Craig's lawyer Andrew Herman wrote "Not only was the trip itself constitutionally required, but Senate rules sanction reimbursement for any cost relating to a senator's use of a bathroom while on official travel"; the filing cited an FEC ruling that allowed former Congressman Jim Kolbe to use campaign funds for his legal defense in the Mark Foley scandal.51 A federal court in Washington, D.C. determined that he improperly paid his attorneys in this matter from his campaign funds, and Craig was ordered in 2014 to pay the Treasury $242,535.52 On March 4, 2016, the U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed that judgment.5354
Other activities
Craig was inducted into the Idaho Hall of Fame in 2007.55
After his retirement, Craig opened the consulting firm New West Strategies with his former chief of staff Mike Ware, focusing on energy issues.58 The consulting firm shut down in 2019.59
Evans, Rowland; Novak, Robert (October 17, 1989). "What to do about Barney Frank: Congress faces nasty confrontation on handling sexual misconduct". Austin American Statesman. Austin, Texas. p. A.8. Word spread through the GOP cloakroom that Rep. Larry Craig of Idaho was standing firm inside the Ethics Committee. ↩
Povich, Elaine S. (July 27, 1990). "Frank reprimanded for aiding prostitute". Chicago Tribune. p. 4. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020. The ethics committee, officially known as the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, had unanimously recommended that Frank be reprimanded and Frank did not contest the charge. But the committee was severely split, took months to make up its mind on the punishment, and during the vote Thursday three GOP members of the panel-Reps. Thomas Petri of Wisconsin, Larry Craig of Idaho and Jim Hansen of Utah-voted for censure, the more severe sanction. ↩
S.J.RES.43Archived January 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to marriage. ↩
State Of Minnesota vs Larry Edwin Craig. Case No. 27-Cr-07-043231. (Hennepin County District Court February 7, 2007), Text, archived from the original on November 18, 2007. Note: In order to access the records, search by name or case number in the Criminal/Traffic/Petty Case Records database. ↩↩2↩3
"Craig, Larry (Board Member)". NRA On The Record. Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. June 9, 2014. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2023. ↩