Tom Kean Jr., a Republican from New Jersey, who hasn’t participated in a vote since March 5, sailed through his primary election on Tuesday. He faced no opposition, running unchallenged in the race.
The selection of a Democratic contender might compel him to re-engage with the public sphere.
Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, secured her spot in the November general election on Tuesday night. She triumphed over three other Democratic candidates to claim the nomination. NBC announced Bennett’s victory less than an hour after polling stations closed in the state.
Kean, 57, the son of a former governor and a member of Congress since 2023, has remained elusive about his extended absence from Capitol Hill.
In the past 89 days, Kean’s avoidance has even concerned GOP leaders, causing unease in the corridors of Capitol Hill last month.
Kean has alluded to health issues as the reason for his absence. In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, he mentioned his intention to “transition from virtual work to in-person work within a matter of weeks.” He also acknowledged the importance of transparency regarding his condition, promising to provide “complete transparency” in due time.
Kean currently represents New Jersey’s 7th congressional district, a key target for Democrats in this year’s midterm elections.
The Cook Political Report rates Kean’s seat as a ‘toss-up’ along with 13 others held by Republicans. President Donald Trump won the district by a single point in 2024.
New Jersey Republican Tom Kean, Jr. listens during a hearing on Capitol Hill in December of 2023
Rebecca Bennett, Democrat candidate for New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, speaks at a campaign event on Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Flemington, New Jersey
In his typical fashion, the President issued an endorsement of Kean hours before the primary contest, encouraging his supporters to back the incumbent on Tuesday night.
In his endorsement for Kean, Trump said ‘he will never let you down.’
Yet, with his cryptic absence, the argument that Kean has let his constituents down will likely be made forcefully by Democrats in the march to November.
‘His months-long absence has put a spotlight on his self-inflicted vulnerabilities including playing the stock market while in office, putting loyalty to Donald Trump first, and failing to show up when the people of New Jersey need him most,’ the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee noted in a Tuesday release.
A GOP operative who spoke about the race with the Washington Post noted, ‘We cannot hold the majority without this seat. And folks need to know if he is capable of running for reelection and winning. … You can’t just go missing for months and tell people they just need to be patient and wait without any accountability.’
Bennett is exciting Democrats because she’s seen as a prototype of Governor Mikie Sherrill, a moderate-facing female with a military background who can appeal to suburban voters with an independent streak.
Senior GOP staffers and lawmakers who spoke with Punchbowl News last month said they had received little to no information about Kean’s condition or whereabouts.
When asked by NBC News when Kean planned to return, Speaker Mike Johnson acknowledged ‘I don’t know.’
A spokesperson for Kean told Punchbowl that there was ‘absolutely nothing to worry about’ concerning his boss, adding that ‘He will be 100 percent healthy and is excited to get back to work.’
Kean, in a post made to his congressional campaign’s social media page in late April, said that he was dealing with an unspecified ‘personal medical issue’ that he expects to recover from.
‘My doctors continue to assure me that my recovery will be complete and that I will be back to the job I love very soon,’ Kean said in the statement. ‘I expect to return to a full schedule and be at 100 percent.
Kean has resisted disclosing a specific illness as the reason for his absence.
‘I take my responsibilities seriously and have a strong record of showing up and delivering, which makes this absence all the more difficult,’ he continued.
Kean’s campaign account has continued to post over the last several weeks, though none appear to be photographs taken in real time.
The campaign’s fundraising solicitation emails have emphasized how ‘razor-thin the margin’ is for GOP control in the US House.
Kean won his 2024 race by nearly 7 percentage points but Kalshi markets have handed Bennett an 80 percent chance of flipping the seat as of Tuesday night.
