James Dennis Scholten[1] (born March 4, 1980) is an American paralegal, politician and retired professional baseball player from the state of Iowa. He 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.
J. D. Scholten | |
---|---|
Member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 1st district | |
Assumed office January 9, 2023 | |
Preceded by | John Wills |
Personal details | |
Born | James Dennis Scholten March 4, 1980 Ames, Iowa, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Education | University of Nebraska–Lincoln (BA) |
Website | Campaign website |
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]
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]
In the 2018 elections, Scholten ran against Republican incumbent Steve King for the United States House of Representatives in Iowa's 4th congressional district.[9][10][11] He lost, 50%–47% in a closer showing than expected.[12] 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.[13][14]
In August 2019, Scholten announced that he would seek a rematch against King in the 2020 elections.[15][16] He was unopposed in the primary election and faced Randy Feenstra, who had defeated King in the Republican primary.[17] Scholten lost to Feenstra by a 25 point margin.[18]
On March 16, 2022, Scholten announced his candidacy for District 1 in the Iowa House of Representatives.[19] He was unopposed in the Democratic Party primary and the general election.[20][21]
In 2023, while serving in the Iowa House of Representatives, Scholten signed with the Oosterhout Twins in the Honkbal Hoofdklasse. He continued to work as a legislator remotely.[22]
Scholten is running for reelection in the 2024 elections.[23]
Scholten's father, Jim, was Morningside College's baseball coach.[24][25]