TRENTON, N.J. – Rep. Tom Kean Jr., the New Jersey Republican whose prolonged absence from Congress has fueled questions for nearly four months, is expected to return to public view after saying an unspecified medical condition kept him away from Washington.
Kean, 57, is a second-term congressman and a member of one of New Jersey’s best-known political families. He represents a closely watched swing district that includes President Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf club. So far this year, he has missed more than 100 House votes and has not made public appearances in Washington or back home in the district, even as he secured the Republican nomination for another term.
A spokesman for Kean said the congressman is expected to resume work Tuesday and provide more transparency about the circumstances behind his absence. The New York Times reported that Kean answered the door at his home last week when approached by a reporter, but he declined to be interviewed at the time, saying only that he would speak later.
The uncertainty surrounding Kean’s time away carries political weight. His district is among the most competitive in New Jersey, and Republicans hold only a narrow majority in the House. Kean’s office has maintained that he remains a candidate for reelection, with Democrat Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, set to challenge him in what is expected to be one of the state’s marquee November races.
Democrats see the seat as a major pickup opportunity, particularly because it has flipped in each of the last two midterm elections. Kean captured the district in 2022 by defeating Democrat Tom Malinowski, who had ousted Republican Leonard Lance in 2018.
Kean has not cast a House vote in months
Kean’s most recent vote in the House came on March 5, and at the time, no explanation was provided for his absence from subsequent votes.
In April, a post on his social media account said he had been managing a personal medical matter and that his doctors expected him to make a recovery.
Kean’s absence has also complicated matters for House Republican leaders, who are struggling every day to pass bills with their razor-thin majority, 218-212. Speaker Mike Johnson and other GOP leaders repeatedly told reporters they were in touch with Kean, but said he would have to address the circumstances himself.
Trump has endorsed Kean’s reelection, without mentioning his absence.
Kean comes from a long line of public servants, stretching 250 years to the country’s founding when one of his ancestors became New Jersey’s first leader since independence.
His great-grandfather was a senator, his grandfather was a congressman and his father is the former two-term governor, Tom Kean Sr.
