"As State Representative here in Iowa, I will fight for affordable health care, a quality education for every family in my district, and for an economy that works for ALL of us, not just for a few at the top."
Meet j.d.
J.D. Scholten was born in Iowa and raised in Sioux City, graduating high school here and attending Morningside College, where he played college baseball for his father who was the Head Coach. J.D. transferred for his Senior year to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he led the Cornhuskers in earned run average on the College World Series bound team. After graduating, J.D. played professionally for the Sioux City Explorers and in seven countries— including the U.S., Canada, Belgium, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Cuba. After retiring from baseball, J.D. worked as a paralegal.
In 2018, J.D. ran for Congress in Iowa’s Fourth Congressional District. He ran a creative, grassroots campaign that drew national attention for demonstrating how Democrats can compete in rural areas. In 2020, he ran again and took the campaign RV to all 374 towns in the district and was one of the few non-incumbent Democratic candidates to outperform the top of the ticket. J.D. is committed to fighting for areas that get left behind and wants to take that fight to the Iowa House.
ON THE ISSUES
PUBLIC EDUCATION
When I graduated high school in Sioux City in 1998, Iowa was “First in the Nation in Education.” Heck, our state quarter states “Foundation in Education.” The Republicans at the Capitol continue to give tax breaks to the super wealthy and to corporations at a time when we should be investing in public education. Investing in education means investing in the educators and the staff that are essential, especially in the past few years.
HEALTHCARE
There’s not a community in this state where there isn’t a donation box at a gas station, a pancake breakfast or a GoFundMe to help pay for someone’s medical costs. We are the wealthiest country in the world and too many of us have to beg to pay for our healthcare. In Iowa, the privatization of Medicaid has cost the state more money and many recipients have received worse care.
ECONOMY
We are living in the 2nd Gilded Age where only a few corporations dominate entire industries. As a result we see less entrepreneurship, less locally owned businesses and less opportunities in Iowa. I want to “Grow Iowa” but not at the expense of workers, consumers or communities.
CLIMATE CHANGE
In 2019, the Missouri River floods caused climate refugees in Iowa. In 2020, the derecho cost over $7.5 billion in damages, the costliest thunderstorm in U.S. history. In 2021, we had tornadoes in December. We need to combat climate change now!
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
Currently, a person can write the Governor a half million dollar check (or more). As a result, we have seen “no bid” contracts going to donors. We need to have limits so this state doesn’t just go to the highest bidder.
TAXES
For far too long, hardworking Iowans have been paying a higher tax rate than billionaires and corporations. We shouldn’t be taxing educators, truckers and taxidermists more than the super wealthy and huge corporations. We need to have a fair tax system for all.
