New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean Jr. was confronted about his months-long mental health absence during Sunday’s first and only televised debate against Democratic challenger Rebecca Bennett.
Moderator David Wildstein opened the debate by asking whether Kean had acted responsibly by waiting to tell constituents about the mental health challenges that kept him away from Congress for 116 days earlier this year.
Kean, a Republican running for another term in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, defended his decision to delay publicly discussing his depression diagnosis. He said his absence followed a medical emergency.
“Nobody can plan a medical emergency, and that was a medical emergency,” Kean said.
The congressman said his office had told constituents he was undergoing medical treatment. He also argued that he was candid about his depression once he was ready to address the diagnosis publicly.
“I’m glad you got access to the treatment you needed,” Bennett replied.
Kean’s extended absence had already sparked concern among members of his own party.
Former New Jersey Attorney General John J. Farmer Jr. said in late May that Kean was a “public figure running for reelection” and therefore should be “as transparent as he can be with the public.”
Many of Rebecca Bennett’s attacks during the 7th Congressional District debate focused on Republican candidate Tom Kean Jr.’s voting record and his loyalty to President Trump.
Kean, seeking reelection in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, defended withholding his depression diagnosis earlier and said his absence was caused by a medical emergency.
House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed sympathy for Kean’s absence, saying on June 3 that “people are entitled to get sick” and that the situation was “not a scandalous thing at all.”
New Jersey Republican state Sen. Jon Bramnick also recognized the unease surrounding Kean’s disappearance, saying it was “a big deal” as voters questioned where their congressman had gone.
Johnson, however, offered a more understanding response. On June 3, the House speaker said that “people are entitled to get sick” and described Kean’s situation as “not a scandalous thing at all.”
Johnson said he knew the details of Kean’s health problem but would honor the congressman’s decision to keep them private.
Bennett did not challenge Kean’s decision to seek treatment. Instead, she used the exchange to return to a major theme of her campaign: the Republican’s backing of President Trump’s agenda.
The debate also gave Kean an opportunity to emphasize several areas in which he said he differed from Trump.
One of the sharpest disagreements involved plans for an ICE detention center in Roxbury, a community within Kean’s district.
Federal officials purchased a vacant 470,000-square-foot warehouse in February for $129.3 million.
New Jersey and Roxbury Township have challenged the proposed conversion in federal court, filing multiple lawsuits and seeking injunctions to stop the project. The legal fight has contributed to construction delays and repeated pauses in the work.
The debate underscored several issues on which Kean tried to separate himself from Trump, including his opposition to the proposed Gateway rail tunnel project.
Kean said his focus is, ‘to make sure we don’t have an ICE facility in Roxbury.’ A 470,000 square-foot-warehouse was purchased by federal officials in hopes of turning it into an ICE facility, which has since been held up in court
An Insider NJ/StimSight Research survey, conducted September 8-12 among 498 likely voters, found Bennett at 47 percent to Kean’s 42 percent
Asked about the controversial facility, Kean said, ‘My focus is to make sure we don’t have an ICE facility in Roxbury.’
Bennett immediately seized on the statement, saying, ‘This is the first time we have heard Congressman Tom Kean Jr actually be explicit about his position on the detention facility in Roxbury. So thank you for telling us where you stand finally.’
Kean also pointed to his disagreements with Trump over funding for the Gateway rail tunnel project, arguing that he has demonstrated a willingness to challenge the president when he believes New Jersey’s interests are at stake.
The Gateway rail tunnel project is a roughly $16 billion effort to build a new rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River and repair the century-old tunnels linking New Jersey with New York, and it relies heavily on federal funding.
But on several of Trump’s signature policies, Kean was much more supportive.
He defended his vote for Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ arguing that its tax cuts would benefit the economy.
Bennett attacked the legislation over its healthcare provisions and its effect on the national debt.
Kean also defended Trump’s tariffs, arguing that they were justified and that the president should have broad authority to use them as leverage against other countries.
On Iran, Kean backed Trump’s military action, arguing that Iran could not be permitted to obtain a nuclear weapon, while Bennett countered that the war was making the United States ‘less safe and less secure’ and questioned whether there was a clear objective or exit strategy.
Kean was also strongly supportive of Israel, defending its actions, while Bennett took a more critical position toward the Israeli government’s conduct.
Bennett has opened up a five-point lead over Republican Congressman Tom Kean Jr. in New Jersey’s closely watched 7th Congressional District, according to the latest poll of likely voters.
The Insider NJ/StimSight Research survey, conducted September 8-12 among 498 likely voters, found Bennett at 47 percent to Kean’s 42 percent.
