He defeated former Premier Richard Nerysoo in an upset victory.
He was re-elected in the 1999 general election, winning in a landslide with 75% of the vote.
[2] After being re-elected to his third term in office he was elected speaker on December 11, 2003 after Tony Whitford was appointed commissioner.
Krutko was re-elected to a fourth term in the 2007 general election with 50.5% of the vote.
He retired at the 2011 general election but returned to fight the Mackenzie Delta seat again in 2015.