Democrat JD Scholten came within 3 percentage points of defeating Rep. Steve King in the 2018 midterms. Now, with King continuing to face controversy — this time over remarks about rape and incest — Scholten has launched a second bid against King:
Republican Rep. Steve King's history of incendiary comments about immigrants and association with white nationalists nearly cost him his seat in Congress last year, when former professional baseball player and Democratic candidate JD Scholten came within three percentage points of defeating him in the midterm elections.
Scholten came remarkably close to unseating King in a rural, agricultural district where Trump defeated Hillary Clinton 60% to 33% in 2016. This week, the Des Moines Register reported that King, seeking to defend his opposition to rape and incest exceptions in an anti-abortion proposal, recently told a conservative group that humanity might not exist without"rape or incest."
House Republican leaders, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and House GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., also condemned King's remarks. "White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?" he told the paper in a recorded interview and later disputed.
If no candidate reaches 35 percent in the primary next year, the GOP nomination will be selected by delegates at a district convention.
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