The family of Rep. Tom Kean Jr. has finally revealed what is going on with the representative after he went missing from Congress for more than two months, missing over 70 important votes and slimming the GOP House majority with his absence. According to a vague statement he released and puffery from his office, he is battling serious health issues.
As background, Rep. Kean represents New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District. Despite the slim GOP majority in the House, Rep. Kean has not cast a vote since March 5, and has released no details of note on why he has not shown up to do his job and represent his constituents in the high stakes current Congressional battles.
In fact, all the 57-year-old representative and his office has really said on the matter was a vague statement released back in April. In it, Kean said, “I want to thank my constituents and colleagues for their patience as I address a personal medical issue.”
He continued, vaguely emphasizing that the health issue was a serious one that kept him from work, though without indicating at all what that health issue might be, “My doctors continue to assure me that my recovery will be complete and that I will be back to the job I love very soon. I expect to return to a full schedule and be at 100 percent.”
More recently, Rep. Kean’s chief of staff, Dan Scharfenberger, has finally broken the office’s silence on the matter in May. Doing so in response to increasing amounts of criticism over the office’s silence, he said, “He will be returning to a regular full schedule soon. The Congressman’s team continues to serve the people of New Jersey uninterrupted.”
Speaking to the media, his constituents were mostly positive about him, but clearly desirous that he get back to work and do his job, or at least be open about what is going on. One, for example, said, “He’s served the district and the area well. I think in light of the tight election, it’s really important to be open and communicative.” Similarly, another said, “I wish him well and I hope that he gets better soon, and that he can run for reelection.”
Others were somewhat less positive, and noted how his odd and undescribed absence is fueling speculation. For example, speaking to CBS News, Rider University political professor Micah Rasmussen noted, “People are wondering, what the heck is going on? It’s a lot easier for the public to understand what’s going on if they know what’s going on. And they don’t.”
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On much the same note, Ben Dworkin, a political professor at Rowan University, told CBS News that everyone wants to see him get back to work, or at least reveal what is going on, as him just not showing up and being incommunicative is quite weird. “Everybody wants to see Congressman Kean recover from whatever it is he’s dealing with and to return back to work, even the most partisan Democrats,” Dworkin said. He added, “No one wants to win because the other guy isn’t there.”
Watch Speaker Johnson comment on the matter here: