For almost three months, Rep. Tom Kean Jr.’s whereabouts and condition have been a mystery in his New Jersey congressional district. Now they are becoming a source of growing alarm for his party in Washington, where Republicans fear his prolonged absence could cost them his swing seat — and possibly their House majority.
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Kean has not voted in the House since March 5. His district, one of the most affluent in the nation, is also one of the country’s most competitive, a seat Republicans need to hold for a chance to keep a House that they currently control by only a handful of votes. The cost of his absence has already shown up on the House floor. Earlier this month, a resolution on U.S. military action in Iran deadlocked 212-212, with Kean not casting a ballot.
“No one knows where he is and, from my understanding, the speaker doesn’t know what the exact situation is,” said Doug Heye, a longtime Republican operative and former top aide to then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Virginia). “Just as there’s no room for error in the congressional majority, there’s no room for error in this congressional race.”
Kean has not cast a vote in Congress in nearly three months. He has not appeared at a public event in his district. He has not held a town hall, attended a committee hearing or stepped onto the House floor — all of which have led to a mix of confusion, frustration and anger.
Representatives for Kean’s congressional office and campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
His congressional office has released little information about why he has been away. Kean said in a statement last month that he has been dealing with “a personal medical issue” but did not specify when he expects to return. As pressure built in recent weeks for Kean to provide more information, the congressman told the New Jersey Globe in a phone interview that he expects to return to work “in the next couple of weeks” and will run for reelection.
“My doctors are confident that I’m on the road to a full recovery,” Kean told the publication, while providing few insights into his medical issue. “I understand the need for public transparency, and I appreciate the support of my constituents.”
But that has done little to assuage the concerns of Republican operatives focused on keeping control of the House next year.
“No one knows what is going on, which is leading to a lot of anxiety,” said a Republican operative who works on House races, who like some others interviewed for this report spoke on the condition of anonymity to frankly discuss a sensitive issue within the GOP conference. “There is a total information void.”
The operative added: “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.”
Kean, the son of former New Jersey governor Thomas H. Kean, is running unopposed in New Jersey’s GOP primary on June 2.
On Capitol Hill, Kean’s absence has made the job of Republican leaders in charge of the House more difficult as they try to manage the legislative body with a notably narrow margin.
“Elected officials, especially in competitive districts, are held to a different standard and transparency comes with the job,” said a Republican House leadership aide. “Republicans have a swing seat to protect and a razor-thin majority.”
People in the area Kean represents — a stretch of New Jersey from the Newark suburbs to the state’s western border with Pennsylvania — have mixed feelings about the congressman’s absence.
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Gabriella Cuccaro, a 25-year-old Department of Homeland Security agent, learned about the controversy surrounding Kean while scrolling through social media. His absence is “a huge red flag,” said Cuccaro, who said she is not affiliated with any political party. “You kind of want to feel represented by the people who are representing you.”
Others had not heard much about Kean’s situation but said a congressman being absent from Congress is concerning.
“Sounds like something shady,” said Sandra Jaeger, a Democrat who voted for President Donald Trump in 2024.
But in interviews conducted in his district, Republican voters were less bothered.
John Pereira, a 58-year-old Republican, said that Kean’s absence doesn’t faze him and that he’ll vote the party line no matter what. Originally from Nicaragua, Pereira said he is more worried about socialism and would prefer an absent Republican representative to any Democrat.
“Even though he’s a congressman, he has to have some privacy,” Pereira said.
Heye, the Republican operative, argued that voters can be “very forgiving” toward their political leaders.
“But you have to level with them,” he added. “He seems to be just trying to defy that without any rationale or explanation.”
One problem for Kean is that his absence plays into how Democrats have long talked about him even before he disappeared — painting him as an absentee congressman who does not show up for the people of his district.
“He will be held accountable for betraying New Jersey families and for the damage he has inflicted when he’s actually been in Washington to vote,” said Eli Cousin, a spokesperson for House Democrats’ campaign arm.
Rebecca Bennett, a leading Democrat in the nominating contest to challenge Kean in November, has been more careful when hitting Kean for his absenteeism.
“I sincerely wish him well. I hope he has a speedy recovery,” Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, said in an interview with The Washington Post. “I certainly would have been more transparent about this if I was our member of Congress. And I think we do need to have rules about disclosure, both from a financial perspective as well as if you’re going to have some sort of extended absence.”
Bennett, however, argued that Kean’s absence from the Hill is simply a continuation of his approach since he was elected.
“He is never around, he’s not on the ground, he doesn’t meet with voters, and he doesn’t meet with constituents,” she said. “And so, to me, this is just an extension of how he’s been in office from the beginning.”
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