Swing-seat Republican sidelined by ‘serious’ illness misses 88 votes as majority hangs by thread

An absent House lawmaker is expected to miss several more weeks of work after vanishing from Capitol Hill and the campaign trail due to an undisclosed illness.

Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J., has not voted in more than two months as House Republicans’ slim majority races to approve must-pass legislation ahead of the midterm elections.

His father, former Gov. Tom Kean Sr., R-N.J., says his son may not return to Washington until June or later as he recovers from a “serious” illness.

“You can’t say definitely, but their best guess is now he’ll be out in two or three weeks,” Kean Sr., told NJ.com in an interview last week, referring to his son’s doctors. “Any time you’ve been through a serious illness, you can’t be 100% the day you get back. You’re gonna be able to do things, but gradually ramping up.” 

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“When he can start to go to Congress again, that’s something the doctor wants to reserve judgment on,” he added.

Kean Jr., 57, last voted on March 5 and has missed all 88 roll call votes in the lower chamber since then, according to GovTrack, a website that monitors congressional absences.

Representatives for the New Jersey Republican have contended for weeks that he will restart his congressional duties “soon,” but that timeline has remained vague. 

A spokesperson for Kean Jr. did not immediately respond to a request for comment about when the two-term lawmaker plans to return to Washington.

Kean Sr. did not elaborate about where his son is receiving treatment for the undisclosed diagnosis, but confirmed he is under the care of multiple doctors.

He also declined to disclose the nature of his son’s illness, telling CNN, “That’s up to him.” The former two-term governor added that doctors expect Kean Jr. to make a full recovery.

Since March, Kean Jr.’s office has characterized the congressman’s diagnosis as a “personal health matter” and declined to share specifics.

A top aide for Kean Jr. told The New York Times last week, “There’s no cameras where Tom is.” 

The public last heard from Kean Jr. in late April when he released a public statement, saying, “I will be back to the job I love very soon.”

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Kean Sr. also said that he expects his son to run for re-election despite his disappearance from the campaign trail.

“I think that’s the way he’s going, yeah,” he told the outlet.

Kean Jr.’s ongoing health issues come as national Democrats are aggressively targeting the swing seat Kean Jr. has represented since 2023. Four relatively well-funded challengers, including emergency room physician Tina Shah, are vying for the Democratic nomination ahead of a June 2 primary.

Kean Jr. is running unopposed for the GOP nomination.

Republicans in Washington have grown increasingly concerned about Kean Jr.’s prolonged absence, which has an outsize impact on GOP lawmakers’ fragile majority.

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The House is expected to vote on legislation this week funding President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda, where House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will likely need near-full attendance from Republicans amid widespread opposition from Democrats.

Johnson told reporters last week that he is praying for Kean Jr’s swift recovery but is in the dark about the nature of the New Jersey Republican’s ailment.

“He said he was out on a medical issue, and he’ll be back as soon as possible,” the speaker said. “That’s the full extent of what I know about it. 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.”