Democrat Scholten says he’ll run again for seat held by King

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Democrat J.D. Scholten says he will make another run for an Iowa congressional seat held for 17 years by conservative Republican Rep. Steve King.

Scholten announced Monday he would again seek the Democratic nomination in the 4th Congressional District, made up of 39 counties covering much of northwest and central Iowa.

Since winning the seat in 2002, King has been re-elected eight times, usually by margins of 20 to more than 30 percentage points until last November, when he beat Scholten by 3 points. This time, King also will face competition for the Republican nomination amid criticism over statements he’s made about race and immigration that led him to be stripped of his committee assignments.

Scholten, a former minor league baseball player, says he’ll focus on issues such as health care and the economy.