WESTFIELD, N.J. (AP) 鈥� When New Jersey voters gathered this week to talk with a state lawmaker about affordable housing and new data centers, there was something else on their mind, too. Where is their congressman, Republican Tom Kean Jr.?
“What鈥檚 the word?鈥� Steve McCabe, an 80-year-old retired lawyer, asked Jon Bramnick, a GOP state senator.
Bramnick had no answer for Kean’s unexplained medical absence that has stretched over nearly three months. But he told the audience how Kean hated to miss votes when they served together in the Legislature, even if that meant driving through a snowstorm.
鈥淚 said, 鈥楾om, we should really turn around,鈥欌�� he recalled.
Now Kean has missed more than 100 votes in Congress, and he has not been spotted in Washington or in his district. It is a political mystery with potentially national consequences: Kean represents a district that is among as they try to retake control of Congress.
Kean’s office insists he is still running for reelection. He is not facing any challengers in Tuesday’s primary while several Democrats are running for their party’s nomination.
Harrison Neely, Kean鈥檚 campaign consultant, said the congressman was dealing with a medical emergency. He promised that Kean would be transparent about the issue and would return to a full schedule 鈥渧ery soon.鈥�
鈥淭his was an emergency, you don鈥檛 get to plan these,鈥� Neely said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no good timing for this.鈥�
To Bramnick, it seems like it must be something serious.
鈥淔or him not to be there, that鈥檚 a big deal,” he said.
鈥榃e’re expecting him back here soon鈥�
Kean represents the 7th Congressional District, a mix of suburbs and small towns. It includes President Donald Trump鈥檚 Bedminster golf course.
Despite being redrawn after the most recent census in 2021 to become more favorable to Republicans, the district has seesawed between the parties in each of the last two midterm elections. Republican Leonard Lance lost to Democrat Tom Malinowski in 2018. Malinowski lost to Kean in 2022.
Kean’s last vote in the House was March 5. Since then his absence has drawn escalating attention.
鈥淲e鈥檙e expecting him back here soon,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., recently. 鈥淗e鈥檚 going to be fully transparent.”
Kean comes from a storied political family. His father served as governor. An ancestor was New Jersey鈥檚 first leader after the United States declared independence.
The New Jersey Globe, a local political website, said it received a call from Kean this month. He did not explain his condition, only that 鈥渕y doctors are confident that I鈥檓 on the road to a full recovery.鈥�
McCabe, the voter who asked Bramnick about Kean, said he wanted an update after reading the news about the congressman’s absence.
鈥淚 hope he鈥檚 not sick,鈥� he said.
What if Kean steps down?
Bruce Paterson, a 75-year-old retired engineer from Garwood, described himself as a 鈥渞egular Democrat, not like the crazy Democrats they have today.鈥� He attended the town hall with Bramnick and plans to support Kean in the general election.
鈥淚 hope he comes back,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 mean, will I vote for him? Probably only because we need a nice balance” in a state otherwise dominated by Democrats.
Another voter asked Bramnick if Kean steps down after Tuesday鈥檚 primary whether he would accept the Republican nomination for the 7th District. If that were to happen, party leaders in the district’s counties would hold a convention to choose a replacement.
Bramnick repeatedly noted Kean is running for reelection and questioned whether his own candidacy would be a good fit in today’s Republican Party. While Bramnick has criticized Trump, including during Bramnick’s failed campaign for governor last year, Kean has embraced the president and features his endorsement prominently on social media accounts.
鈥淚鈥檓 not considered the biggest fan of Donald Trump,鈥� Bramnick said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that the Republican Party is interested in sending someone to Washington that may vote yes or no depending on how I feel about the issue.鈥�
Democrats are waiting in the wings
Some Democrats running in the primary have criticized Kean over the failure to tell constituents about what is going on.
鈥淭om Kean disappeared from the job,鈥� said Michael Roth, a former Small Business Administration official.
Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy pilot also in the race, wished Kean a speedy recovery but criticized his record in Congress, including for a new railway tunnel connecting New Jersey with New York City.
鈥淗e was nowhere to be found when funding got cut for the Gateway Tunnel, which is a critical infrastructure project in our district,鈥� she said.
Candidates Tina Shah, an intensive care unit doctor, and Brian Varela, a marketing agency founder, have also been critical of Kean during debates.
Kean, who has a cash advantage at this point over his potential Democratic opponents, still has time before the November election to connect with voters, said Benjamin Dworkin, director of the Rowan Institute for Public Policy & Citizenship.
鈥淭he issue is not going to be that he was out for a hundred plus votes in the spring,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he question is really, how effective is he going to get once he returns?鈥�
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