Biography:

Michael D. Crapo was born and resides in Idaho Falls, Idaho. After graduating from high school there, he earned his undergraduate degree in 1973 from Utah's Brigham Young University.

He attended the University of Utah briefly before enrolling at Harvard, where he received a law degree in 1977.

He was a law clerk for Judge James Carter of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals the following year.

He practiced law in San Diego, Calif., for a year and returned to Idaho Falls to join the law firm partnered by his brother Terry. He decided to follow his brother's footsteps into politics four years later when a 1984 court-ordered legislative reapportionment plan expanded the size of the state Senate from 35 to 42 members.

He served in the Idaho Senate from 1985 to 1993. He won a seat in Congress in 1992 and was re-elected to the House in 1994 and 1996. Crapo was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1998.

He and his wife, Susan, have five children.

Past Campaigns:

Michael Crapo launched his political career in 1984, winning a seat in the state Senate that had been expanded from 35 to 42 members through reapportionment.

He was re-elected in 1986 and served as Republican floor leader before being elected president pro temp in 1988 and again in 1990. He was elected to the U.S. House in 1992 with 63 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat J.D. Williams and two other candidates.

He was re-elected in 1994 with 75 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Penny Fletcher. In 1996, Crapo was re-elected with 69 percent of the vote against Democrat John Seidl. Crapo was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1998, defeating Democrat Bill Mauk with nearly 70 percent of the vote. The seat opened up when incumbent Dirk Kempthorne ran successfully for governor.

Democrats failed to put up a challenger against Crapo in the 2004 Senate race, effectively conceding the race.

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