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By Dan Gooding and Gabe Whisnant
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Democratic candidates are raising Republican Representative Tom Kean Jr.’s prolonged absence from Congress as an issue in efforts to flip his competitive New Jersey House seat.
Kean has missed weeks of votes while offering limited public updates, raising questions about transparency and representation in a closely contested district as the midterms loom as a critical time for the Republican Party in Congress.
Voters and party strategists alike are watching how the absence could shape the race ahead of November.
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“If you were missing work, you would tell your boss, and Tom Kean Jr.’s boss is the people. He did not tell us. That’s it. And in the time that he did not show up for work, he has raised more than $600,000 just from corporate PACs alone. That tells you who his boss is,” Michael Roth, one of four Democrats in the June 2 primary, told the New Jersey Mirror. “It is time that we get a member of Congress who will show up.”
Newsweek reached out to Kean's campaign for comment via email Wednesday afternoon.
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Tom Kean Jr. Absence: What To Know
Kean has not voted in the House since March 5 because of what his office has described only as a “personal health matter,” with no clear timeline for his return, while challengers say constituents deserve more information.
The New Jersey congressman said in a statement late April that he was dealing with a medical issue after missing nearly 50 roll call votes in the House.
At the time, New Jersey GOP members said they had not been able to get ahold of Kean, despite multiple calls and texts.
Kean posted his statement to his X account April 27: "I want to thank my constituents and colleagues for their patience as I address a personal medical issue. 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. I expect to return to a full schedule and be at 100 percent."
Who Is Tom Kean Jr.?
Kean is serving his second term in Congress, where he sits on the House Energy and Commerce and Foreign Affairs Committees, according to his official biography on the U.S. House of Representatives website. He represents more than 775,000 New Jersey residents and has focused on healthcare access, infrastructure, innovation and education.
A scion of one of New Jersey's most prominent political dynasties, Kean comes from a family with deep ties to state politics. His father, Thomas Kean Sr., was governor from 1982 to 1990.
Tom Kean Jr. began his career in public service as an appointee to the Environmental Protection Agency under President George H.W. Bush—where he met his wife, Rhonda—and later worked as a legislative staffer in the Washington office of New Jersey Representative Bob Franks.
Kean was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 2001 and to the New Jersey Senate two years later, where he served 14 years as Republican leader. During his state legislative tenure, he served on Budget and Appropriations, Commerce, Judiciary, Higher Education and Health and Human Services Committees.
An Opening for Democrats?
With little detail on Kean's absence and the Democratic primary getting closer, the four leading contenders in the race appear to see their chances of flipping the district increase.
During a debate Tuesday, former Small Business Administration official Michael Roth, former Navy helicopter pilot Rebecca Bennett, businessman Brian Varela and ICU doctor Tina Shah criticized the vagueness of Kean's absence, per the Globe.
“We all wish Congressman Kean [is] OK and that he’s healthy, but at the end of the day, you’re a public servant, and while I don’t think you need to be putting out your own personal medical history out there, you, at the very least, have a responsibility to be communicating with your constituents and with your district,” Varela said.
Roth also took aim at Kean over election promises similar to those made by others in the GOP, including President Donald Trump, to lower gas prices, energy bills and healthcare costs, saying he had not delivered.
That messaging has been echoed by other Democrats across the country, seeking to win over voters frustrated with the U.S. economy under Trump.
What Happens Next
While Kean remains absent, his campaign for reelection continues, while the four Democrats prepare for primary day on June 2.
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