SIOUX CITY, Iowa - J.D. Scholten, a former baseball player and paralegal, captured a three-way Democratic primary race Tuesday, setting up a battle with longtime Republican Rep. Steve King for Iowa’s Fourth Congressional District.
Scholten, 38, of Sioux City, won with 51 percent of the vote, beating out Leann Jacobsen of Spencer (32 percent) and John Paschen of Ames (17 percent).
King, an eight-term representative from Kiron, easily fended off a primary challenge from Cyndi Hanson, also a Kiron Republican. King received nearly 75 percent of the vote to Hanson’s 25.
Scholten has campaigned on improved health care, federal tax reform and trade policies and legislation that benefits area farmers. He contends King has not pushed policies to help those in the district.
King has long been outspoken on the topic of immigration - he personally urged President Donald Trump to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) - and supports a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. He serves on the House Agriculture, Small Business and Judiciary committees.
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The district, which covers the entirety of northwest Iowa, leans heavily Republican. Voter rolls show 188,334 Republicans to 116,129 Democrats.
In Tuesday’s primary, 37,145 Republicans voted, compared to 28,339 Democrats.
