Three days after Sen. Joni Ernst responded to a constituent’s concerns about potential Medicaid cuts by saying, “We’re all going to die,” the Iowa Republican drew a high-profile Democratic opponent. State Rep.

Scholten made a political name for himself in 2018 when he narrowly lost an upset challenge to longtime Republican U.S. Representative Steve King in northwest Iowa’s overwhelming Republican heavy congressional district. His longshot campaign featured Scholten traveling the district’s counties multiple times in an RV that he named “Sue City Sue.”