Steve King maintains seat in Congress for Iowa’s 4th district
Rep. Steve King holds onto his seat in Congress despite a heavily funded Democratic challenger.
Congressman Steve King speaks at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition in Des Moines on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014. Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition is a dedicated to educating the public and training Christians for effective political action. (The Daily Iowan/Margaret Kispert)
November 7, 2018
Republican Steve King prevailed over well-funded Democrat J.D. Scholten Tuesday night. King, despite facing last-minute sponsorship withdrawals and condemnations from the national Republican Party, won by 3.37 percent to Scholten’s 46.96 percent at the time of publication.
King, a 16-year incumbent, won Iowa’s 4th District, which includes Sioux City, Ames, and much of northwestern Iowa. At the time of publication, he had received 50.33 percent of the vote to Scholten’s 47 percent.
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His victory comes despite facing renewed pressure from Democrats, Republicans, and others less than a week ahead of Election Day for what many have described as racially charged comments and tweets in the past.
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As many as half-a-dozen companies pulled financial support from his campaign and the leader of the National Congressional Republican Committee sharply condemned what he called King’s “inappropriate” rhetoric. From Monday to Friday, his opponent, former professional baseball player and Democrat opponent, Scholten, received $900,000 in donations, according to his campaign.
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King has led efforts in the past to repeal former-President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. The 69-year-old is a strong supporter of gun rights, tough enforcement of immigration laws, and anti-abortion policies.
King has won handily in previous elections, garnering 61 percent of the vote in 2016 against Kim Weaver and by a similarly wide margin in 2014 against Jim Mowrer.
Scholten, a former professional baseball player, topped King in fundraising during the election cycle. He raised $1.67 million from July of 2017 to Oct. 17 of 2018. To compare, King raised $735,958 from January of 2017 to Oct. 17 of this year.
