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 two-time congressional candidate, announced his campaign Monday, saying Ernst’s comments prompted him to jump into the race sooner than he had anticipated.

“I wasn’t planning on doing this right now, but I just can’t sit on the sidelines after Joni’s recent town hall justifying gutting Medicaid because ‘we’re all gonna die,’” he says in his launch video .

Ernst, an Iraq War veteran serving her second term, drew quick condemnation from Democrats for her town hall remarks Friday about the impact of Medicaid cuts. After an attendee interrupted her by shouting that

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