BOISE - U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, who has represented Idaho in Washington for nearly 27 years, surrendered to nationwide calls for his resignation Saturday, saying he will leave office at the end of the month.

Craig's announcement ended a startling week as the Idaho senator was embarrassed by revelations that he had pleaded guilty to a disorderly conduct charge stemming from a same-sex solicitation incident in a Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport men's room. Even though Craig maintained that he was in fact innocent, few Senate Republicans came to his defense while party leadership said he should go.

On Saturday, he bowed to the demands, saying he will leave the Senate on Sept. 30 to allow a smooth transition for his staff and the replacement to be appointed by Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter.

About 250 people, half onlookers and half media, attended Saturday's news conference at the historic Boise Depot. Amid both applause and catcalls, Craig, his wife Suzanne, and two of his three adopted children, Mike and Shae, walked to a lectern placed to give onlookers a panoramic vista of the city with the Capitol in the distance.

Behind Craig stood Otter and his wife, Lori; Congressman Bill Sali; Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna, and Kirk Sullivan, director of the Idaho Republican Party.

Craig's statement took less than five minutes, during which time he thanked those who stood with him, and acknowledged, "For any public official, at this moment in time, to be standing with Larry Craig is in itself a humbling experience."

He continued: "To Idahoans I represent, to my staff, my Senate colleagues, but most importantly to my wife and my family, I apologize for what I have caused. I am deeply sorry."

Saying that "my name is important to me, and my family is so very important also," Craig also acknowledged that pursuing future legal options in the case would be a "distraction" of his job and for his colleagues.

"The people of Idaho deserve a senator who can devote 100 percent of his time and effort to the critical issues of our state and our nation," he said, noting that "these are serious times of war."

At the end of Craig's statement, a heckler yelled to Otter, "I will never vote Republican again. Never!"

Other protesters held signs that made references to Craig's arrest in the men's room.

John Foster, director of the Idaho Democratic Party, said that the senator's announcement was not necessarily a happy one for Idaho's Democrats.

"We're Idahoans," he said. "Like everyone who watched today, we're saddened by what this state has been through. The national media attention is not what any of us like to see. It's nice to know that Sen. Craig did the right thing, the honorable thing. It's nice to know that he finally did step aside so we can move beyond it."

Foster noted that his party chose to stay quiet as the airport incident came to light. "All we're focused on is making sure is that where we go forward from here is going to reflect what Idahoans really want," he said. "That we move in a positive way that reflects the independent spirit of the state."

Foster called on Otter to have an open, public process for appointing Craig's successor. He also suggested that Otter appoint someone who does not want to run for the seat next year - a move that would help level the playing field for a Democratic hopeful.

"We need to make sure that someone can get in there and serve very well and honorably that reflects Idaho's independent values and spirit over the next year, and then step aside and let the people elect the next senator," he said. "The important thing is not to rush right now to an appointment based on political expediency."

In a statement on his Web site later in the day, Craig said he had not yet determined whether he will return to Washington to attend hearings and vote on bills.

A broad variety of politically active Idahoans of all political stripes attended the announcement. Among them was Bryan Fischer, executive director of the conservative Idaho Values Alliance organization, who had publicly called for Craig's resignation immediately after learning of the senator's guilty plea.

"We believe character is an important qualification for public service therefore we think it's appropriate for the senator to step down," Fischer said.

When asked why other Idaho Republicans were unwilling to join national GOP leaders in asking Craig to resign, Fischer said, "The senator put the Republican leadership in this state in a pretty difficult position. I think it was hard for them to come out in public support of the senator because they were afraid there might be some substance to the charges. But at the same time they didn't want to criticize publicly someone who has been a colleague and a friend.

Toni Lawson, Craig's health policy adviser in Washington D.C. from 2003 to 2005, wiped away tears as she spoke of her daily interaction with Craig, her admiration for his work, and her sadness for the senator's family.

"Regardless of any allegation or action, he's done nothing but represent Idaho with utmost integrity for so long, and whether people agree with him or not on a particular issue, I don't think you could ever doubt his integrity behind the issues," she said. "I hope Idaho can be compassionate to one of their own."

Jody May-Chang, editor of pridedepot.com, a Web site for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered, said that while she is not a supporter of Craig and his policies, she agreed his resignation was sad for the state.

"I'm sorry to see him go under these circumstances," she said. "It's been embarrassing for the gay community. It's not representative of the kind of behavior that we live in our daily lives, and unfortunately the perception among his followers, if you will, believe that to be true and consequently they're throwing him under the bus for that.

"His voting record is clearly part of the reason that he's in the predicament that he's in right now. The kind of homophobic legislation that he votes for and equality legislation that he votes against creates situations like this for thousands of Americans across the country where they can't feel comfortable about who they are."