Tom Kean Jr. reveals depression diagnosis after four-month absence from House
Tom Kean Jr. said depression kept him out of the House for nearly four months, after missing more than 140 votes and leaving his New Jersey district in the dark.
Tom Kean Jr. returned to the House floor on June 30 and said his absence since March was caused by depression diagnosed after he went to the hospital for testing. The New Jersey Republican said doctors told him to remain hospitalized for treatment, ending a stretch that kept him out of Washington for nearly four months and off the roll call for more than 140 votes.
For much of that time, Kean’s office called the absence a “personal medical issue.” Kean said he had initially believed he would be back in “a matter of weeks,” but later learned there was no fixed timeline for recovery. He said he was grateful he accepted help and now feels “healthier” and “stronger.”
Kean is running for a third term against Democrat Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot and health care executive, in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District. Democrats have targeted the seat in the 2026 midterms, and Kean’s absence also kept him off the campaign trail during that stretch.
Kean, 57, first won the district in 2022 by defeating Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski, and he won his June 2 primary unopposed. But while he was away, Kean had not cast a House vote since March 5, and the absence went publicly unexplained for more than 100 days.
In April, Reps. Jeff Van Drew and Chris Smith said they had tried to reach Kean and received what Van Drew called “radio silence.” Speaker Mike Johnson later said he had spoken with Kean by phone and called the condition “very common” and “not a scandalous thing at all.” Kean’s return came on the same day he had scheduled a fundraiser, and he still had at least four more fundraisers lined up for later in the summer and fall.
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