Iowa Senator Faces Challenge After Controversial Medicaid Remarks

DES MOINES, Iowa — Three days after Iowa Senator Joni Ernst made controversial remarks during a town hall meeting, State Representative J.D. Scholten announced his candidacy for the Senate on Monday. Scholten, a two-time congressional candidate, cited Ernst’s comments about potential Medicaid cuts as a major factor in his decision to enter the race sooner than expected.

During her town hall, Ernst reacted to concerns about Medicaid cuts by saying, ‘Well, we’re all going to die,’ drawing immediate backlash from constituents and political opponents. Scholten expressed his frustration, stating, ‘I wasn’t planning on doing this right now, but I just can’t sit on the sidelines after Joni’s recent justification of gutting Medicaid.’

Ernst, who is serving her second term and is also an Iraq War veteran, faced swift condemnation from Democratic leaders following her remarks. Following the town hall, she downplayed the incident on social media, further igniting criticism.

Scholten joins military veteran Nathan Sage in the Democratic primary against Ernst, as several other potential candidates are also considering a run. Since 2008, Democrats have struggled to secure a Senate seat in Iowa, illustrating a shift in the state from a swing state to a Republican stronghold.

Recent assessments indicate that the Senate race in Iowa is seen as ‘Solid Republican.’ In his campaign launch video, Scholten describes himself as a ‘baseball-playing, monopoly-busting, beer-drinking, Bible-reading, working class, proud prairie populist,’ while highlighting his family’s six-generation history in Iowa.

Previously, Scholten attempted to unseat Republican Steve King in 2018, narrowly losing by about three points. In 2020, Scholten ran again after King lost in the Republican primary, but this time, he was defeated by Randy Feenstra by 24 points.

Scholten remarked in his video, ‘I’ve run hard races before.’ He is currently the only Democrat serving in the state legislature across 42 counties in northwest and north-central Iowa, claiming he consistently outperformed Democratic candidates at the top of the ticket in past elections.