GOP Rep. Steve King's views on race and ties to far-right European groups have alienated House colleagues of both parties, but they've barely damaged him back home. In 2016, he won reelection 61 percent to 39 percent while President Trump carried the district 60 percent to 33 percent. But this year, he's facing his most spirited challenge in six years from former Minor League pitcher J.D. Scholten.
Scholten has outraised the incumbent $776,000 to $511,000 this cycle (and had twice as much cash on hand at the end of June) in part thanks to national Democratic donors' disgust with King. But Scholten plans to focus more on King's healthcare and tax bill votes, as well as Trump's tariffs (this is one of the top corn, soybean and pork producing districts in the nation) rather than King's musings on western civilization.
Scholten grew up in Sioux City, where his father coached the Morningside College baseball team for 28 years. Scholten attended the University of Nebraska and pitched several seasons for the semi-pro Sioux City Explorers before playing in Europe, including in
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