John,

Ever since the pandemic, families have been hit hard with supply shortages and corporate price gouging. How do families keep up with the rising cost of energy, food and housing? 

That’s been the burning question on my mind lately. It seems like a no-brainer that if the cost of everything is going up, wages need to go up too. But sadly, here in Iowa, we haven’t had a minimum wage increase since 2009. Even South Dakota has a higher minimum wage than we do! 

Here’s how Iowa’s minimum wage of $7.25 an hour measures up compared to the rest of the country:

According to Iowa Starting Line, if you’re a tipped worker such as a server or a bartender, you could be getting paid as low as $4.35/hour after claiming tips.  

That is NOT a livable wage, John. If elected to the Iowa State House, I will fight to increase the minimum wage for workers.

We need to provide a living wage for our working families. Keeping people in poverty by paying them inadequate wages only serves to hurt families and the overall economy. 

I want to hear from YOU. Do you believe Iowa should raise the minimum wage for workers? Take a quick minute to fill out our survey and let me know what you think.

It’s a travesty that workers have to ration medication and choose what bills they can afford to pay every month. Imagine if we enabled workers to save money for the future like my parents and grandparents were able to? 

We need to support our working families and lift up our communities. And we can do that by raising the minimum wage. 

Standing Tall for All,

J.D. Scholten 

If you'd like to send a check to Scholten for Iowa, please mail it to: Scholten for Iowa, P.O. Box 5351, Sioux City, IA 51102.