Latest news with #JDScholten
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘Beer-drinking, working-class populist': JD Scholten, Iowa Democrat challenging senator Joni Ernst
When Iowa senator Joni Ernst now infamously told a town hall audience last month that 'we're all going to die' in response to concerns about proposed cuts to Medicaid in Donald Trump's signature spending bill, her Democratic challenger JD Scholten was on his way to a funeral. Scholten, a state lawmaker and minor league baseball player, said it was at that funeral for a local Democratic activist that his tentative plans to run for Congress for a third time – this time for the upper chamber – suddenly became more certain. 'Sitting there at the funeral, you know, you question life, you question a lot of different things and hearing all the wonderful things that Gary Lipshutz did in his life and the activism, it just inspired me and I thought, I need to do this.' The next day when Ernst doubled down with what Scholten described as a 'very disrespectful 'apology'' – posting a video on social media in which she walked through a cemetery and sarcastically apologized for her comments – 'that's when I was like, game on,' he said. Scholten announced earlier this month that he's challenging Ernst for her seat next year, and one day after that, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report shifted the race from 'solid Republican' to 'likely Republican'. 'I think so much of modern politics is about matching the moment and we just said, you know, this won't be the perfect launch but we'll get it done,' he said. Scholten describes himself as a 'baseball-playing, beer drinking, Bible-reading, working-class proud Prairie populist'. He's upfront about the challenges facing his home state. 'I love where I'm from, but we haven't bounced back since the 2008 economic crisis,' he said. 'The status quo is just not working, both politically and economically for most of Iowa.' Iowans are already struggling with inadequate healthcare, and that's before huge proposed cuts to Medicaid, he said. Ernst made her recent controversial comments in response to a question at a town hall about her support for the US president's signature spending bill, which would likely strip Medicaid coverage from 8.7 million people and leave 7.6 million more Americans uninsured. Scholten said the cuts will also have detrimental effects on rural hospitals and nursing homes in Iowa, which would impact urban hospitals as well. Some in the state have taken to calling her 'Joni Hearse', he said. Ernst has also faced backlash from the right wing of her party in recent months for initially hesitating on confirming the secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth. Scholten is not the first or the only Democrat to announce a challenge to Ernst, who has served in the senate since 2015. On Wednesday, state senator Zach Wahls announced a campaign as well, including a clip of her town hall comments in his launch video. But as Scholten notes, he's the only Democratic candidate who has run for federal office before and who over-performed the Democrat on the top of the ticket by eight-and-a-half points when he won his state house seat last year. He also claims his full-time job – a pitcher on the Sioux City Explorers minor league baseball team – is the best one to prepare him for a messy primary and long campaign. 'A minor league baseball season is a grind. It is a marathon and not a sprint. Every night you have to perform and even on your off days, you have to be good, or you're going to get released.' But more importantly, he said he has insight into a demographic that Democrats have struggled with since the 2024 election: younger men. 'I don't have to hire a consultant to do a focus group. I can ask them and figure out ways to get my message out better so they care about what I'm passionate about just as much as I'm listening to what they're interested in.' When Scholten ran for Congress in 2018 and then 2020, he was known for having a used Winnebago RV he named 'Sioux City Sue' that would criss-cross the district. He said he hopes to recreate the van and get out to all of Iowa's 99 counties.
Washington Post
02-06-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Iowa state lawmaker enters US Senate race after Ernst retort on Medicaid cuts
SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Iowa state Rep. J.D. Scholten, a Democrat, announced a run for U.S. Senate on Monday, a decision he says he made after U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst made a retort about Medicaid cuts that prompted swift backlash. Scholten, from northwest Iowa, was first elected to the statehouse in 2023 after twice losing congressional races in Iowa's reliably conservative 4th Congressional District.
Associated Press
02-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Iowa state lawmaker enters US Senate race after Ernst retort on Medicaid cuts
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa state Rep. J.D. Scholten, a Democrat, announced a run for U.S. Senate on Monday, a decision he says he made after U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst made a retort about Medicaid cuts that prompted swift backlash. Scholten, from northwest Iowa, was first elected to the statehouse in 2023 after twice losing congressional races in Iowa's reliably conservative 4th Congressional District. 'I wasn't planning on doing this right now but I just can't sit on the sidelines,' Scholten said in an announcement on social media. In Parkersburg, Iowa, Ernst on Friday defended the $700 billion in reduced spending, saying it would keep immigrants in the U.S. illegally and those who have access to insurance through their employers off the rolls. She emphasized the message that those changes would sustain the program for vulnerable populations. But when someone in the crowd yelled that people will die without coverage, Ernst responded: 'People are not ... well, we all are going to die.' The retort drew swift condemnation, as did a sarcastic apology video from Ernst released on Saturday. Scholten first ran for Congress in 2018, narrowly losing in the overwhelmingly Republican district to U.S. Rep. Steve King, a Republican who was embroiled in years of controversy involving his previous support of white supremacist groups. In 2020, Scholten lost to Republican Randy Feenstra by more than 20 percentage points.
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
League of Women Voters of Siouxland holds final Legislative session of 2025
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — The League of Women Voters along with the Sioux City branch of the NAACP held their third and final legislative town hall of 2025 this morning. It was an overflow crowd at the Sioux City Public Museum as local state legislator's discussed topics and answered questions from their constituents on topics like education, healthcare and civil rights. According to organizers, forums like this are important so both the elected officials and voters have a chance to discuss things face to face. 'It's the key to our Democracy at a time when there are those that are speaking against Democracy,' said Carolyn goodwin, with the League of Women Voters of Siouxland. 'The League of Women Voters has always encouraged people to vote. We want them to have an informed vote. To listen to legislators, to listen to political parties. We do not support candidates, nor do we support political parties as an organization.' There were five legislators in attendance. From the Iowa State House of Representatives, Democrat JD Scholten and Republicans Robert Henderson and Jacob Bossman. From the State Senate, Republicans Rocky De Witt and Kevin Alons. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
