Kean misses House votes amid unspecified medical issue in key New Jersey district

Thomas Kean Jr. has missed every House roll call vote since March 5, leaving New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District without a fully present voice in one of the closest contests in the country while his office cites an unspecified personal medical issue.

A spokesman said the two-term Republican was dealing with a personal medical issue and would be back on a regular full schedule soon, but his office has not offered details or a timetable. GovTrack recorded Kean as missing 49 of 49 roll call votes from March 17 through April 22, and he has not voted on the House floor since March 5.

The absence has sharpened scrutiny because Kean represents a district that moves with the political winds. Donald Trump narrowly carried the seat in 2024. Kean won reelection there by about five points the same year. Then Mikie Sherrill carried the district by nearly two points in the 2025 New Jersey governor’s race, underscoring how closely divided the region has become across New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, which stretches through parts of North and Central Jersey, including Union County.

House Republicans’ slim majority makes even one missing member consequential when the chamber turns to close votes. NJ Spotlight News has noted that Kean’s absence has not changed the outcome of any floor vote so far, but the margin leaves little room for prolonged absences as the House returned from spring hiatus and moved into appropriations season. In a chamber where Republicans can lose only a couple of defections, every seat matters.

The episode has also raised questions inside New Jersey’s Republican ranks about how much voters and colleagues should be told when an elected member disappears from Washington during active votes. Reps. Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew said they had reached out in concern but had not received a clear update. Van Drew described the response as “radio silence.”

Kean’s office has remained active even as he has stayed away from the Capitol. Staff has continued handling office work, including legislation and letters to Trump administration officials, though his day-to-day involvement has remained unclear. The district is already headed toward another closely watched race in 2026, with Democrats recruiting multiple challengers, and the silence around Kean’s absence has turned a personal health matter into a test of transparency, representation and the public’s right to know when its member is missing from the job.