American politician
James Dennis Scholten
[1] (born March 4, 1980) is an American
paralegal , politician and retired
professional baseball player from the
state of
Iowa . He is a member of the
Iowa House of Representatives for District 1. Scholten was the
Democratic nominee for
Iowa's 4th congressional district in the
2018 and
2020 elections .
Early life
Scholten was born in
Ames, Iowa , in 1980.
[2] His family moved to
Sioux City, Iowa , when he was four years old. He attended
East High School in Sioux City, and played for their
baseball and
basketball teams.
[3] Scholten attended
Morningside College , where he played
college baseball as a
pitcher and
first baseman for three years, and then transferred to the
University of Nebraska–Lincoln to pitch for the
Nebraska Cornhuskers as a senior. In 2002, he led the Cornhuskers in
earned run average .
[4] Scholten graduated from Nebraska in December 2003.
[1]
Career
Professional baseball
After graduating from college, Scholten played
professional baseball , making his professional debut for the
Saskatoon Legends of the
Canadian Baseball League , an
independent baseball league , in 2003.
[5] When the league folded during the season, he signed with the
Sioux City Explorers of the
American Association of Independent Professional Baseball , formerly of the Northern League.
[6] He returned to Sioux City in 2004, and then played in
Belgium in 2005 before returning to Sioux City.
[7] In total, he played baseball in seven countries—the U.S., Canada, Belgium, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Cuba.
[8]
After retiring from baseball, Scholten became a paralegal. He worked for firms in Minneapolis and Seattle that focused on intellectual property, and returned to Sioux City after the
2016 United States elections .
[4]
Politics
Scholten at a
Pete Buttigieg rally in November 2019
In the
2018 elections , Scholten ran against Republican incumbent
Steve King for the
United States House of Representatives in
Iowa's 4th congressional district .
[9]
[10]
[11] He lost, 50%–47% in a closer showing than expected.
[12] In January 2019, Scholten announced the formation of a nonprofit group to help low-income Iowans gain more information about the
earned income tax credit .
[13]
[14]
In August 2019, Scholten announced that he would seek a rematch against King in the
2020 elections .
[15]
[16] He was unopposed in the
primary election and faced
Randy Feenstra , who had defeated King in the Republican primary.
[17] Scholten lost to Feenstra by a 25 point margin.
[18]
On March 16, 2022, Scholten announced his candidacy for
District 1 in the
Iowa House of Representatives .
[19] He was unopposed in the Democratic Party primary and the general election.
[20]
[21]
In 2023, while serving in the Iowa House of Representatives, Scholten signed with the
Oosterhout Twins in the
Honkbal Hoofdklasse . He continued to work as a legislator remotely.
[22]
Scholten is running for reelection in the 2024 elections.
[23]
Personal life
Scholten's father, Jim, was Morningside College's baseball coach.
[24]
[25]
References
^
a
b
"1,450 to Receive Degrees at Dec. 20 Commencement" . University of Nebraska-Lincoln. December 20, 2003. Archived from
the original on June 29, 2006. Retrieved May 13, 2023 .
^ Rebecca Zweig (October 22, 2018).
"J.D. Scholten Bets the Farm on Beating Steve King" . The Nation. Archived from
the original on October 24, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018 .
^ Block, Tim (February 17, 1998).
"East's Scholten 'passing' muster" . Sioux City Journal . Retrieved May 29, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
^
a
b Hayworth, Bret.
"Former Sioux City Explorer Scholten pitches his fitness for Iowa's 4th District seat" . Sioux City Journal . Retrieved July 7, 2020 .
^
"J.D. Scholten" . Baseball Reference. Retrieved May 13, 2023 .
^
"Explorers rough up Canaries, 14–8" . Sioux City Journal . July 28, 2003. p. B1. Retrieved May 29, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
^
"2007 Sioux City Explorers" . Sioux City Journal . May 10, 2007. p. B7. Retrieved May 29, 2020 . (subscription required)
^ Judd, Donald (August 5, 2019).
"Iowa native JD Scholten announces second bid to unseat GOP Rep. Steve King" . CNN . CNN. Retrieved July 7, 2020 .
^ Andy Kroll (October 30, 2018).
"Who Is J.D. Scholten, Steve King's Iowa Challenger? – Rolling Stone" . Rollingstone.com. Retrieved October 31, 2018 .
^
"Scholten wins Democratic bid to face U.S. Rep. Steve King in Iowa's 4th District" . Des Moines Register . June 6, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018 .
^
"Iowa election 2018 results: Republican Steve King overcomes strong challenge" . Des Moines Register . November 5, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2019 .
^
"Steve King outlasts J.D. Scholten; lashes out at attempts by critics to 'Kavanaugh-ize' him | Government and Politics" . Sioux City Journal . November 7, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2019 .
^
"J.D. Scholten. former Steve King foe, launches nonprofit, leaves door open for 2020 run" . Des Moines Register . January 23, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019 .
^
"J.D. Scholten calls for Iowa farmers to attend rally in Storm Lake | Government and Politics" . Sioux City Journal . Retrieved May 29, 2020 .
^
"JD Scholten launches second bid to unseat Steve King" . The Hill . August 5, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2020 .
^ Judd, Donald (August 5, 2019).
" 'We built something, and we earned the votes': Iowa native JD Scholten announces second bid to unseat Rep. Steve King – CNNPolitics" . Cnn.com. Retrieved May 29, 2020 .
^
"Scholten says he's ready for Feenstra" .
^
"J.D. Scholten, a Progressive Who Almost Unseated Steve King, Concedes in Iowa Race" . November 3, 2020.
^ Richardson, Ian (March 16, 2022).
"Democrat J.D. Scholten, former Congressional candidate, is running for Iowa House" . Des Moines Register . Retrieved March 16, 2022 .
^
"J.D. Scholten among Iowa legislature advancing, unopposed, to November general election" . [
permanent dead link ]
^ McNett, Jared (November 8, 2022).
"Newly-elected legislators J.D. Scholten, Kevin Alons among Iowa statehouse winning candidates with no challengers" . Sioux City Journal . Retrieved November 11, 2022 .
^
https://www.thegazette.com/state-government/sioux-city-rep-j-d-scholten-making-a-return-to-baseball/
^
https://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/government-politics/scholten-iowa-legislature-reelection/article_93ad1590-8ed1-11ee-b9e0-f7be77b0b9c9.html
^
"Sioux City native Scholten returns to Explorers" . Sioux City Journal . April 4, 2007. p. B1. Retrieved May 29, 2020 .
^ Poe, Barry (April 28, 2011).
"College Baseball: Scholten will retire as Morningside coach" . Sioux City Journal. Retrieved July 23, 2020 .
External links