A state that had been trending heavily toward the GOP is looking potentially competitive again, in part thanks to the senator’s gaffe.

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.

J.D. Scholten, a state representative who is also a minor-league baseball pitcher, said he had felt compelled to take on Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican, after her defense of Medicaid cuts.