Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. (R-NJ), who has been absent from the House since March due to an undisclosed illness, said on Thursday he expects a “full recovery” as he prepares to run for reelection this year.
“My doctors are confident that I’m on the road to a full recovery,” he told the New Jersey Globe in his first interview since the unspecified medical issue was reported. “I understand the need for public transparency, and I appreciate the support of my constituents.”
Kean vowed to disclose the details of his illness soon and said he expects to return to the House in the next few weeks.
Kean has not voted in the House since March 5, just before a recess. At the end of last month, the 57-year-old lawmaker said he planned to “return to a full schedule and be at 100 percent” soon.
Speaking with the New Jersey news outlet, he said his prognosis is positive and that there are no expected long-term health effects or chronic health complications. He also said his cognitive health was not affected by the mysterious illness.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has spoken about the New Jersey Republican’s absence from the lower chamber, saying he knows no more about the specific medical reason than anyone else.
Kean’s father, former New Jersey Gov. Thomas Kean Sr., told CNN last week that his son is “under the care of a doctor” and that he’s “hopefully coming back soon.”
Despite his medical issue, Kean confirmed he is moving forward with his reelection campaign.
QUESTIONS MOUNT AS REP. THOMAS KEAN JR. REMAINS ABSENT AMID UNDISCLOSED ILLNESS
The centrist Republican is running for his third term in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, a purple swing district that Republicans need to keep their narrow House majority.
The incumbent, who’s running unopposed in the Republican primary on June 2, will face one of four Democratic challengers in November. Rebecca Bennett, Michael Roth, Tina Shah, and Brian Varela are vying for the Democratic Party’s nomination to unseat Kean in the general election. The Cook Political Report says the congressional race is a “toss up” between the sitting Republican and whoever his Democratic opponent is.