New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. absent from Congress due to medical issue
New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean Jr. said his weeks-long absence from Capitol Hill is because of a medical issue.
Kean Jr., 57, represents the Garden State's 7th District, encompassing Hunterdon and Warren counties, along with parts of Morris, Somerset, Sussex and Union.
The Republican representative last voted in the House on March 5, according to voting records. He has missed more than 50 roll call votes since then.
Kean went weeks without addressing the absence, but je posted a statement about his condition on social media Monday.
"I will be back"
"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," he wrote.
Kean Jr. said he expected to return to a full schedule and "be at 100%."
"I take my responsibilities seriously and have a strong record of showing up and delivering, which makes this absence all the more difficult," he said.
The representative wrote that his staff has been keeping up with legislative work and constituent services while he is absent.
He did not disclose what kind of medical issue he is dealing with. A Republican source in New Jersey said even political insiders do not know what Kean has been going through.
"Oh, it's tragic. This is one of those things where, and hope we can get back around to it, people are more important than politics. My heart goes out to the guy, to his family," Westfield resident Tim Boyle said.
Kean Jr.'s seat up for grabs in 2026 election
Kean, Jr. was elected to the House in 2022 and is serving his second term. Before that, he was in the New Jersey Senate from 2003 to 2022. He is running for reelection in a competitive district.
He is the only Republican on the ballot, but there are four candidates for the Democratic primary, which is on June 2.
Kean Jr's absence comes at a time when Republican representatives are relying on a narrow majority to pass legislation before the midterm elections in November. There are currently 217 republicans, 212 democrats, one independent and five vacancies in the House.
