Iowa state Rep. J.D. Scholten ended his campaign for the 2026 U.S. Senate race on 18 August and endorsed fellow Democrat and state Rep. Josh Turek, narrowing the field vying to challenge Republican incumbent Joni Ernst. Scholten, a former minor-league baseball pitcher who gained national attention in a near-upset of then-Rep. Steve King in 2018, said he would “suspend” his bid because he believes Turek is better positioned to win statewide. Turek, a Paralympic gold-medal wheelchair-basketball athlete from Council Bluffs, entered the race on 12 August and is viewed favorably by Senate Democratic leaders. His candidacy now benefits from Scholten’s support as well as growing name recognition in western Iowa, where both lawmakers serve in the state House. The pair planned to appear together at a rally in Council Bluffs on Monday evening. Scholten’s exit marks the first consolidation in a Democratic primary that still includes state Sen. Zach Wahls, former Knoxville Chamber of Commerce director Nathan Sage and Des Moines School Board chair Jackie Norris. Second-quarter fundraising underscored the challenge Scholten faced: he collected just over $175,000, compared with $709,000 for Sage and $656,000 for Wahls, who joined the contest weeks before the filing deadline. Ernst has not formally announced her re-election plans but told supporters last week to “bring it on.”