Hunter
08/18/25
Democratic US Senate Candidate JD Scholten has dropped out of the 2026 race and is endorsing state representative Josh Turek, who announced his candidacy last week.
The Des Moines Register reports Scholten, a minor league baseball pitcher, and Turek, a former Paralympian who won two gold medals in wheelchair basketball at the Paralympic Games, were both elected to the Iowa House in 2022 and have become friends.
State Sen. Zach Wahls, former Knoxville Chamber of Commerce Director Nathan Sage and Des Moines School Board Chair Jackie Norris are also seeking the Democratic nomination.
Scholten, who previously ran twice for Congress in Iowa’s 4th District, raised far less money than his competitors in the second quarter.
Sage raised $709,000 in the same timespan, while Wahls raised $656,000 despite launching his campaign less than three weeks before the fundraising deadline. Norris announced her campaign in August and has not had to report her fundraising.