GOP Fears House Tom Kean Jr.’s Mysterious Absence Could Cost Them ‘Razor-Thin’ Majority: ‘Can’t Just Go Missing for Months’

Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via AP Images

Rep. Tom Kean Jr.’s (R-NJ) mysterious, months-long absence from Congress has triggered “a lot of anxiety” among Republicans, as the GOP fears the congressman’s head-scratching disappearance could cost them their House majority.

The mystery surrounding Kean’s whereabouts has made headlines for weeks, as news outlets and lawmakers alike have attempted to track down the congressman.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said last week that he spoke to an “optimistic” Kean about returning to Congress, where Kean has not cast a single vote since early March, after a “medical” problem.

The congressman spoke to the New Jersey Globe last Thursday, though he declined to give details on the “personal medical issue” he said he was dealing with in an April statement.

“My doctors are confident that I’m on the road to a full recovery. I understand the need for public transparency, and I appreciate the support of my constituents.” he said in a phone interview with the outlet.  “I anticipate that in the next couple of weeks, I’ll return to voting and to the campaign trail.”

But that return may come too late to save his highly competitive seat, some Republicans fear. GOP operative Doug Heye expressed some of that stress to The Washington Post, claiming the upcoming midterms leave “no room for error.”

“No one knows where he is and, from my understanding, the speaker doesn’t know what the exact situation is,” said Heye. “Just as there’s no room for error in the congressional majority, there’s no room for error in this congressional race.”

Another unnamed Republican operative in the House voiced similar concern to the outlet, calling the situation a “total information void” that’s testing people’s patience.

“No one knows what is going on, which is leading to a lot of anxiety. There is a total information void,” they said, adding, “We cannot hold the majority without this seat. And folks need to know if he is capable of running for reelection and winning. … You can’t just go missing for months and tell people they just need to be patient and wait without any accountability.”

Kean won his New Jersey seat in 2022 only after a narrow loss to former incumbent Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) two years prior. The wealthy district is set to determine its Democratic candidate for Kean’s seat in June, while Republicans grow increasingly frustrated at the congressman’s lack of transparency about his absence.

“Elected officials, especially in competitive districts, are held to a different standard and transparency comes with the job,” a Republican House leadership aide told WaPo. “Republicans have a swing seat to protect and a razor-thin majority.”

Heye also alluded to the vague statements from Kean, claiming that while voters can be “very forgiving,” that forgiveness must be earned.

“You have to level with them,” he said. “He seems to be just trying to defy that without any rationale or explanation.”

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