Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. (R-NJ) is running for reelection in New Jersey’s 7th District despite a monthslong absence from both Capitol Hill and the campaign trail due to an undisclosed health issue. Kean’s nomination on June 2 is largely a formality, as he is the only Republican running in the GOP primary. The 57-year-old Kean has missed over 100 votes in the House, with his last vote being recorded on March 5.Few details have been shared regarding the congressman’s illness, but Kean told the New Jersey Globe that he expects to make a full recovery and will be back on Capitol Hill in the “next couple of weeks.”
“My doctors are confident that I’m on the road to a full recovery,” Kean told the outlet. “I understand the need for public transparency, and I appreciate the support of my constituents.”
Kean is still running for a third term in the 7th Congressional District, a purple swing seat that will be crucial to the GOP’s effort to hold its House majority in November.
“Congressman Tom Kean has a long record of delivering results for New Jerseyans – first at the state level and now in Congress – and will continue to do so once he has recovered from this medical issue. In the meantime, we have staffed up in the district and remain fully committed to his re-election in November,” Kristen Cianci, the Republican National Committee’s Northeast regional communications director, told the Washington Examiner in a statement.
