Steve King was once named "America’s Worst Member of Congress" — not because of all the disgusting and divisive things he says, but because of his ineffectiveness. In 16 years in office, he’s passed one bill-- renaming a post office. Earlier this year, Rolling Stone named King one of the "Hateful Eight" most bigoted members of Congress. And if that’s not enough, King was also recently named one of the "15 Worst for Women" in Congress. The list of horrible things Steve King has said and done is endless. But this post isn’t about Steve King, it’s about the man who’s going to beat him in November, J.D. Scholten.

When J.D. Scholten launched his campaign over a year ago, no one gave him much of a chance. A first-time candidate with no real ability to self-fund his campaign, J.D. looked like a longshot in a race against the high profile eight-term incumbent. But anyone who thought he didn’t have a chance hasn’t met J.D. A former minor league baseball player, Scholten is as competitive a person as you’ll ever meet-- and a classic team player. As he said in his first big speech after kicking off his campaign last year, "Youthful stubbornness, an athlete’s energy, and a passion for helping others are a dangerous combination." Dangerous for Steve King and his own peculiar brand of bigotry and ego-centricism. 

Scholten has focused that energy and passion into his campaign; in a geographically huge district, J.D. spends nearly every day crisscrossing the district’s 39 counties. He put 35,000 miles on his car, and then, as he says, "People didn’t notice me when I came into town, so I upgraded!" He now drives in, works from, and often sleeps in, a 29-foot RV with his campaign logo plastered on all sides. He stops at the small towns most people usually just drive by: