Craig was born and educated in Idaho. He was elected to the Idaho state senate in 1974. By this time he was also a farmer and rancher. He was a member of the state senate until 1980, when he was elected to the United States House of Representatives, of which he was a member from 1981 until 1991, being reelected every two years. He was elected to the United States Senate in 1990, and reelected in 1996 and 2002. He was chairman of the republican policy committee from 1997 until 2003. He then became chairman of the Special Committee on Aging, a position that he currently (as of November 2003) continues to hold.