Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J., said Thursday he expects to return to Congress “in the next couple of weeks,” ending two months of near-silence over a medical absence that has unnerved House Republican leaders and given Democrats an opening in one of the country’s most closely watched swing districts.
The two-term lawmaker, who has not cast a vote since March 5, said his doctors are confident he is “on the road to a full recovery.” He declined to specify his illness.
Kean, 57, has missed roughly 88 roll call votes since March 5, a stretch that has rattled a House GOP clinging to a razor-thin majority.
He last addressed the issue publicly on April 27, when he said his recovery would be complete. Party leaders have repeatedly stated they do not know the details of his condition.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters last week he had spoken with Kean by telephone roughly two weeks earlier.
“He said he was out on a medical issue and he’ll be back as soon as possible,” Johnson said. “It’s a personal thing, and obviously I told him that we’re praying for him, and I need him to get back as soon as he can.”
Kean’s father, former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean Sr., offered the most detailed public assurances to date in a phone interview with CNN, saying his son is under a doctor’s care and “going to be fine.”
He added: “It took a real illness to knock him out. This won’t linger. It’s not some kind of disease that’s going to incapacitate him in the future. The consensus is that he will be 100% OK.”
Kean’s 7th Congressional District, which includes parts of western and central New Jersey, is among the most competitive in the country.
He flipped the district in 2022 by defeating then-Rep. Tom Malinowski, a Democrat. He won by nearly 3 percentage points, 51.4%-48.6%. In 2024, he won reelection against Democrat Sue Altman by about 7 points.
In December, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report moved the race from Lean Republican to Toss Up, citing a tougher environment, a stronger Democratic field and the district’s long-term shift away from the GOP.
No independent public head-to-head poll of the 2026 general election has been released.
Kean is unopposed on the June 2 GOP primary ballot. Four Democrats — Rebecca Bennett, Michael Roth, Tina Shah and Brian Varela — are competing to face him.
At a May 12 debate, his challengers said the absence reflected a broader communications breakdown with constituents, though none stated he was obligated to disclose his diagnosis.
Kean said he is staying in the race.
