James Dennis Scholten (born March 4, 1980) is an American

paralegal A paralegal, also known as a legal assistant or paralegal specialist, is a legal professional who performs tasks that require knowledge of legal concepts but not the full expertise of a lawyer with an admission to practice law. The market for p ...

, politician and professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the

Sioux City Explorers The Sioux City Explorers are a professional baseball team based in Sioux City, Iowa, in the United States. The Explorers are inaugural members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseba ...

of the

American Association of Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor ...

. He is from the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, and is a member of the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

for District 1. Scholten was the Democratic nominee for

Iowa's 4th congressional district Iowa's 4th congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers the western border of the state, including Sioux City, Iowa, Sioux City and Council Bluffs, Iowa, C ...

in the

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

and

2020 elections The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2020. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems maintains a comprehensive list of upcoming elections on its E-Guide Platform. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calend ...

Early life

Scholten was born in

Ames, Iowa Ames () is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States, located approximately north of Des Moines, Iowa, Des Moines in central Iowa. It is the home of Iowa State University (ISU). According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Ames ha ...

, in 1980. His family moved to

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, Woodbury and Plymouth County, Iowa, Plymouth counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, fo ...

, when he was four years old. He attended East High School in Sioux City, and played for their

and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

teams. Scholten attended Morningside College, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

as a

and

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

for three years, and then transferred to the

University of Nebraska–Lincoln The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska, NU, or UNL) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. Chartered in 1869 by the Nebraska Legislature as part of the M ...

to pitch for the

Nebraska Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding t ...

as a senior. In 2002, he led the Cornhuskers in

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

. Scholten graduated from Nebraska in December 2003.

Professional baseball career

After graduating from college, Scholten played

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

, making his professional debut for the

Saskatoon Legends The Saskatoon Legends were a minor league baseball team during the 2003 season. They played in the Canadian Baseball League, which was not a part of Minor League Baseball and therefore not affiliated with Major League Baseball or its member club ...

of the

Canadian Baseball League The Canadian Baseball League was an independent minor league that operated in 2003. The league's only Commissioner was Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame member Ferguson Jenkins. The league featured former m ...

, an

independent baseball league An independent baseball league is a professional baseball league in the United States or Canada that is not overseen by Major League Baseball or its affiliated Minor League Baseball system (historically referred to as organized baseball). Inde ...

, in 2003. When the league folded during the season, he signed with the

of the

American Association of Independent Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

, formerly of the Northern League. He returned to Sioux City in 2004, and then played in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

in 2005 before returning to Sioux City. In total, he played baseball in seven countries—the U.S., Canada, Belgium, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Cuba. After retiring from baseball, Scholten became a paralegal. He worked for firms in Minneapolis and Seattle that focused on

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...

, and returned to Sioux City in 2017. On July 23, 2023, Scholten returned to professional baseball, signing with the

Twins Oosterhout Twins Oosterhout is baseball and softball club based in Oosterhout, the Netherlands. The Twins have played in the Honkbal Hoofdklasse since 2016. The team plays its home games at Sportpark de Slotbosse Toren. Former Rakuten Golden Eagles The , ...

of the

Honkbal Hoofdklasse The Honkbal Hoofdklasse ( Dutch for ''Major League Baseball'') is the highest level of professional baseball in the Netherlands. It is an eight-team league overseen by the Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Federation (KNBSB). Games are pl ...

. His arrival came after the club required an additional pitcher following a litany of injuries and issues with a Japanese player's

visa Visa most commonly refers to: * Travel visa, a document that allows entry to a foreign country * Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Vi ...

. 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. On July 6, 2024, Scholten played over six innings for the

of the

as starting pitcher after receiving a last-minute phone call from the team's manager. The team won 11–2 against the

Milwaukee Milkmen The Milwaukee Milkmen are an independent baseball team based in Franklin, Wisconsin. They are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. They began play in 2019 and play ho ...

with 100 pitches thrown by Scholten. He signed with the Explorers the following day. In 11 starts for Sioux City, Scholten compiled a 6-2 record and 5.40 ERA with 29 strikeouts over 60 innings of work. On April 26, 2025, Scholten re-signed with the Explorers.

Political career

2018 U.S. House campaign

In the

2018 elections The following elections occurred in 2018. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. Africa *2018 Djiboutian parliamentary election 23 February 2018 *2018 Sierra Leonean general election 7 and 31 ...

, Scholten ran against controversial Republican incumbent

Steve King Steven Arnold King (born May 28, 1949) is an American former politician and businessman who served as a U.S. representative from Iowa from 2003 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Iowa's 5th congressional district un ...

for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

in . He lost, 50% to 47% in a closer showing than expected. 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 The United States federal earned income tax credit or earned income credit (EITC or EIC) is a refundable tax credit for low- to moderate-income working individuals and couples, particularly those with children. The amount of EITC benefit depend ...

2020 U.S. House campaign

In August 2019, Scholten announced that he would seek a rematch against King in the

. He was unopposed in the

primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...

and faced

state Senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

Randy Feenstra Randall Lee Feenstra (born January 14, 1969) is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative for Iowa's 4th congressional district. The district covers the state's western border and its northwestern quadrant, inclu ...

, who had defeated King in the Republican primary. Scholten lost to Feenstra by a 25 point margin.

Iowa House of Representatives

On March 16, 2022, Scholten announced his candidacy for

District 1 District 1 may refer to: Places * I District, Turku, in Finland * District 1, Düsseldorf, a district in Düsseldorf, Germany * Sector 1 (Bucharest), also known as District 1, in Bucharest, Romania * District I, Budapest in Budapest, Hungary * Dis ...

in the

. He was unopposed in the Democratic Party primary and the general election. In 2023, while serving in the Iowa House of Representatives, Scholten signed with the

in the

. He continued to work as a legislator remotely. Scholten ran for reelection in the

2024 elections This is a list of elections that were held in 2024. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. *2024 United Nations Security Council election *2024 national electoral calendar *2024 local electoral ...

, and won his second term.

2026 U.S. Senate campaign

On June 2, 2025, Scholten announced that he would run in the 2026 United States Senate election in Iowa, challenging incumbent Senator

Joni Ernst Joni Kay Ernst (née Culver; born July 1, 1970) is an American politician and retired military officer serving since 2015 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from Iowa. A member of the ...

Political views

Scholten has described himself as a "

Lina Khan Lina Maliha Khan (born March 3, 1989) is an American legal scholar who served from 2021 to 2025 as chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). She is also a professor at Columbia Law School. While a student at Yale Law School, she became known ...

Democrat". Scholten has been characterized as a member of the populist wing of the Democratic Party.

Personal life

Scholten's father, Jim, was

Morningside University Morningside University is a private university affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Sioux City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1894 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, Morningside University has 21 buildings on a campus ...

's baseball coach.

References

External links

Campaign website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Scholten, J. D. 1980 births 21st-century members of the Iowa General Assembly American athlete-politicians American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in the Netherlands Baseball players from Ames, Iowa Baseball players from Sioux City, Iowa Candidates in the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections Candidates in the 2020 United States House of Representatives elections Democratic Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives Living people Morningside Mustangs baseball players Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball players Paralegals Politicians from Sioux City, Iowa Saskatoon Legends players Sioux City Explorers players