It Doesn’t Sound Like Missing GOP Rep. Is Coming Back to Work Soon
Republican Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. of western New Jersey hHe hasn’t voted on a single bill since March 5. Apparently he is ill.
Kean Jr. and his team never explained to his constituents why the lawmaker was suddenly missing in action, but the 57-year-old politician was recently willing to share an update with Republican leaders.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said ABC News On Friday, he spoke with Kean on the phone the day before, during which the lawmaker explained that he had been dealing with an unspecified “personal health question.”
“I was happy to speak to Tom Kean, Jr. this afternoon by phone,” Johnson said, referring to their Thursday call. “He is dealing with a personal health issue and hopes to return to 100 percent very soon. Tom is one of the most dedicated and hardworking members of Congress, and I am grateful for all he is doing and will continue to do to serve the people of New Jersey and our country.”
That single response was the culmination of a small pressure campaign by the two other Republicans in the New Jersey House of Representatives: Reps. Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew. Both were unable to make contact with Kean. Van Drew said Policy that it was “radio silence” on the part of their conservative colleague.
New York Republicans were also perplexed in their efforts to call and text Kean, while other Republicans, like Rep. Don Bacon, were completely unaware of their ally’s absence until they failed to find him on the House floor earlier this week.
“I was looking for him,” Bacon said Wednesday. “I didn’t know it was that long.”
Kean’s staff told Politico on Wednesday that the lawmaker was suffering from health issues, but did not provide additional details. Harrison Neely, a strategist for the lawmaker, told the publication that Kean would be “back to a full, regular schedule very soon.”
Kean was elected to represent New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District in 2022, and he is months away from being plunged into a contentious midterm re-election cycle. He is currently uncontested in the Garden State’s Republican primary, scheduled for June 2, but he is expected to face enormous opposition from Democrats next November. In recent months, New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District has gone from a “lean Republican” advantage to a split advantage, according to an analysis by Cook Political Report.
