WASHINGTON — New Jersey Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. revealed Tuesday that he spent months away from Congress being treated for depression.
“It is physical, it is emotional, and until you experience it yourself, it is difficult to fully understand how powerful this illness can be,” he said on the House floor.
Kean’s reappearance comes after he won an uncontested primary on June 2 and months since he last voted in the House.
“Today I stand before you healthier, stronger and excited to return to the work that I love,” Kean said.
A second-term lawmaker and scion of a New Jersey political family, Kean represents a battleground district that includes President Trump’s Bedminster golf club. He’s missed more than 100 votes in Congress this year and hadn’t been seen publicly in Washington or his district despite winning the Republican nomination to serve another term.
The mystery over Kean’s absence carries potential political implications, given the competitive district he represents and the Republican Party’s narrow control of the House. His office has said he is still running for reelection and is set to face Democratic nominee Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, in New Jersey’s most high-profile contest in November.
Democrats have targeted the district as a prime pick-up opportunity, given that the seat has changed hands in the last two midterm elections. Kean won in 2022 by defeating Democrat Tom Malinowski, who had defeated Republican Leonard Lance in 2018.
Kean’s last vote was months ago
Kean last voted in the House on March 5, but his absence wasn’t explained.
In April, his social media account said he had been dealing with a personal medical issue and his doctors expected him to recover.
Kean’s absence has also complicated matters for House Republican leaders, who are struggling every day to pass bills with their razor-thin majority, 218-212. Speaker Mike Johnson and other GOP leaders repeatedly told reporters they were in touch with Kean, but said he would have to address the circumstances himself.
Trump has endorsed Kean’s reelection, without mentioning his absence.
Kean comes from a long line of public servants, stretching 250 years to the country’s founding when one of his ancestors became New Jersey’s first leader since independence.
His great-grandfather was a senator, his grandfather was a congressman and his father is the former two-term governor, Tom Kean Sr.
Catalini and Cappelletti write for the Associated Press.
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