March 29, 2024

Former baseball player wants to challenge US Rep. King

SIOUX CITY (AP) — A former baseball player intends to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Steve King in Iowa’s 4th District.

J.D. Scholten announced his candidacy Tuesday for the Democratic nomination. He says he wants to put “Iowa values back at the center of public service, create new opportunities for Iowa’s middle class, and ensure that Iowans never again need to worry about health care as a barrier to living free, productive, and successful lives.”

The 37-year-old played baseball at Morningside College and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and later for the Sioux city Explorers. Since leaving baseball he’s worked as a paralegal.

He’s the lone Democrat in the race. Kim Weaver dropped out in June, citing threats she’s received for her safety and concerns about her mother’s health problems.