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J. D. Scholten
Scholten in 2022
Member of the Iowa House of Representatives
from the 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 9, 2023
Preceded byJohn Wills
Personal details
Born
James Dennis Scholten

(1980-03-04) March 4, 1980 (age 44)
Ames, Iowa, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln (BA)
WebsiteCampaign website

James Dennis Scholten[1] (born March 4, 1980) is an American paralegal, politician and professional baseball pitcher for the Sioux City Explorers of the American Association of Professional Baseball. He is from the state of Iowa, and 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

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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]

Professional baseball career

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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]

On July 23, 2023, Scholten returned to professional baseball, signing with the Twins Oosterhout of the Honkbal Hoofdklasse. His arrival came after the club required an addition pitcher following a litany of injuries and issues with a Japanese player's visa.[9] In six games (three starts) for the club, Scholten recorded a 2–1 record and 4.50 ERA with 31 strikeouts across 26 innings pitched.[10]

On July 6, 2024, Scholten played over six innings for the Sioux City Explorers of the American Association of Professional Baseball as starting pitcher after receiving a last-minute phone call from the team's manager.[11] The team won 11–2 against the Milwaukee Milkmen with 100 pitches thrown by Scholten.[12] He signed with the Explorers the following day.[13]

Political career

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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.[14][15][16] He lost, 50% to 47% in a closer showing than expected.[17] 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.[18][19]

In August 2019, Scholten announced that he would seek a rematch against King in the 2020 elections.[20][21] He was unopposed in the primary election and faced Randy Feenstra, who had defeated King in the Republican primary.[22] Scholten lost to Feenstra by a 25 point margin.[23]

On March 16, 2022, Scholten announced his candidacy for District 1 in the Iowa House of Representatives.[24] He was unopposed in the Democratic Party primary and the general election.[25][26]

In 2023, while serving in the Iowa House of Representatives, Scholten signed with the Twins Oosterhout in the Honkbal Hoofdklasse. He continued to work as a legislator remotely.[27]

Scholten is running for reelection in the 2024 elections.[28]

Personal life

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Scholten's father, Jim, was Morningside College's baseball coach.[29][30]

References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Block, Tim (February 17, 1998). "East's Scholten 'passing' muster". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved May 29, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
  4. ^ a b Hayworth, Bret (May 23, 2018). "Former Sioux City Explorer Scholten pitches his fitness for Iowa's 4th District seat". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  5. ^ "J.D. Scholten". Baseball Reference. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  6. ^ "Explorers rough up Canaries, 14–8". Sioux City Journal. July 28, 2003. p. B1. Retrieved May 29, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
  7. ^ "2007 Sioux City Explorers". Sioux City Journal. May 10, 2007. p. B7. Retrieved May 29, 2020. (subscription required)
  8. ^ Judd, Donald (August 5, 2019). "Iowa native JD Scholten announces second bid to unseat GOP Rep. Steve King". CNN. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  9. ^ "Sioux City Rep. J.D. Scholten making a return to baseball". thegazette.com. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  10. ^ "J.D. Scholten Independent Leagues Statistics". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  11. ^ Wu, Daniel (July 10, 2024). "An Iowa baseball team needed a pitcher. A state legislator took the mound". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  12. ^ Post, J.J. (July 9, 2024). "Lawmaker steps in to pitch for American Association team". ESPN. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  13. ^ "2024 Transactions". aabaseball.com. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  14. ^ Andy Kroll (October 30, 2018). "Who Is J.D. Scholten, Steve King's Iowa Challenger? – Rolling Stone". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  15. ^ "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.
  16. ^ "Iowa election 2018 results: Republican Steve King overcomes strong challenge". Des Moines Register. November 5, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  17. ^ "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.
  18. ^ "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.
  19. ^ "J.D. Scholten calls for Iowa farmers to attend rally in Storm Lake | Government and Politics". Sioux City Journal. March 27, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  20. ^ "JD Scholten launches second bid to unseat Steve King". The Hill. August 5, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ "Scholten says he's ready for Feenstra". June 11, 2020.
  23. ^ "J.D. Scholten, a Progressive Who Almost Unseated Steve King, Concedes in Iowa Race". November 3, 2020.
  24. ^ Richardson, Ian (March 16, 2022). "Democrat J.D. Scholten, former Congressional candidate, is running for Iowa House". Des Moines Register. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  25. ^ "J.D. Scholten among Iowa legislature advancing, unopposed, to November general election".[permanent dead link‍]
  26. ^ 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.
  27. ^ "Sioux City Rep. J.D. Scholten making a return to baseball".
  28. ^ "J.D. Scholten announces reelection bid for Iowa House District 1 seat". November 29, 2023.
  29. ^ "Sioux City native Scholten returns to Explorers". Sioux City Journal. April 4, 2007. p. B1. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  30. ^ Poe, Barry (April 28, 2011). "College Baseball: Scholten will retire as Morningside coach". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
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