Concern Grows Over Republican Congressman's Mysterious Absence

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/nyregion/thomas-kean-jr-republican-missing.html?unlocked_article_code=1.dFA.Xr9G.cF32QVhJ7iko&smid=url-share


A spokesman for Representative Thomas Kean Jr. said an unspecified “personal medical issue” has led the New Jersey Republican to miss House votes.

Representative Thomas Kean Jr., one of the most vulnerable Republican members of Congress, has missed more than a month’s worth of votes in Washington and has been absent from his New Jersey district as he deals with what aides have described as a personal medical issue.

The last vote Mr. Kean cast was on March 5. His extended absence comes as the House speaker, Mike Johnson, is reliant on a razor-thin majority to advance legislation vital to President Trump before the midterm elections in November.

Mr. Kean, 57, is also in the throes of a re-election campaign in one of the country’s most closely watched and competitive House races. Four Democrats are vying to replace him in the Seventh Congressional District, and primary ballots have already been mailed.

Harrison Neely, a campaign spokesman, said that Mr. Kean was “dealing with a personal medical issue” and would be “back to a full schedule soon.”