JD Scholten, a representative of the Iowa Democratic state and a professional baseball player, has entered the race to take the Republic of Senator Joni Ernst in 2026 – was partially encouraged by his comments to last week’s constituents on the potential cutting of Medicaid.
Ernst faced a number of constituents who were restituent at a city hall on Friday which expressed concern that the Republican cutting for Medicaid in a bill that would fund Trump’s legislative agenda. After one person in the audience shouted. “People will die!” Ernst replied, “Well, we will all die.”
The incident “really touched me,” Scholten told ABC News in a short interview. “We need better leadership than that.”
On Saturday, Ernst posted a sarcastic “apology” for his comments in what appeared to be a grave, saying, “I made the wrong assumption that everyone in the Auditorium understands that, yes, we will all perish from this earth.
JD Scholten, a Democratic candidate for the 4th Congress District of Iowa, spoke at Iowa Democratic Wing in Clear Lake, Iowa, August 9, 2019.
Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images
Scholten has nominated himself for a higher position before, coming in several points from Repp Rep. Steve King in 2018. He lost the 2020 race for King’s old seat for Rep. Randy Feenstra with a broader difference and is currently serving in a country home that represents the Sioux city area.
He is currently a throwing for Sioux City Explorers from the American Association of Baseball, Mitra Baseball League Independent Main League.
If he won the Democratic main election, Scholten said he also planned to make the race a referendum on Presidential Donald Trump’s trade policy, noted that Iowa soybean farmers had been trapped in a trade war with China.
While several Iowa home seats were considered competitive in 2026, Democrats have not won the senate competition in the state since 2008.
-ABC News’ Allison Pecorin contributed to this report.