Mike Crapo shares many of the small-government ideals of more fiery Republican newcomers in Congress, but his low-key demeanor and willingness to sit at the negotiating table with Democrats have earned him respect from colleagues on the left and right. Crapo earned a law degree at Harvard University in 1977. He clerked for a federal appeals court judge and then returned to Idaho and entered private practice before launching his political career in 1984.

Learn what Mike Crapo says about finding common ground