Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ) will return to Congress later this month, after a monthslong absence due to an unspecified health issue.
Kean, 57, is set to return to Capitol Hill on June 30, a spokesperson confirmed to the Washington Examiner. The New Jersey Republican has been absent from the House since March and has missed over 100 votes in that time frame.
“Congressman Kean is eager to return to in person work on June 30 and resume a full schedule,” Harrison Neely, an adviser for Kean, said in a message.
Kean will return with three voting days left before the House takes a one-week recess for July 4. No new details have been shared regarding the two-term congressman’s illness, though Kean is expected to share more information upon his return.
While Kean himself has been absent since March, his social accounts have remained active, and the congressman has certified several stock trades made on his behalf. He has also signed off on “gift travel” expenses for his staff.
Kean, who has represented New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District since 2023, said in a statement earlier this month ahead of the state’s primaries that he is “more energized than ever” to fight for the district.
“Right now I am focused on my recovery and under the advice of healthcare professionals, I will transition from virtual work to in person work within a matter of weeks,” the lawmaker wrote. “At that time I will be completely transparent as to the nature of my medical condition.”
TOM KEAN JR. SET FOR MATCHUP WITH DEMOCRAT REBECCA BENNETT IN NOVEMBER
Kean was unopposed in the GOP primary, however, the New Jersey Republican’s absence has sparked Republican concern about whether he will be able to maintain his seat in November. Kean is seeking his third term in Congress in one of the most competitive seats in the nation that will be crucial to the GOP’s effort to hold its narrow House majority. President Donald Trump narrowly carried the district in 2024 after former President Joe Biden won it in 2020.
Democrats are targeting Kean’s seat as a prime pickup opportunity this November, with Kean set to face former Navy pilot Rebecca Bennett in the general election. Kean is the only New Jersey Republican on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s “Districts in Play” target list.