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NJ Rep. Kean acquired more data center stocks as backlash to AI boom grows
By
Mike Hayes
Published Sep 15, 2026
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By
Mike Hayes
Published Sep 15, 2026
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U.S. Rep. Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey continued to acquire stocks of companies involved in data center development, according to his latest financial report to Congress. Questions over the safety of artificial intelligence and the financial and environmental effects of AI data centers on local communities have become central issues for voters ahead of this year’s midterm elections.
Kean’s Sept. 12 disclosure — known as a periodic transaction report, which by law every member of Congress is required to submit — shows the North Jersey Republican obtained shares worth up to $30,000 in two companies in the data center industry: Linde and MasTec. In July, Gothamist reported that, as of April 2026, Kean had acquired at least $90,000 in shares in three other companies heavily involved in the AI boom: Texas Instruments, nVent and Analog Devices. Kean’s previous disclosure report showed he reaped up to $30,000 from sales of some of the shares.
Kean sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and its Communications and Technology Subcommittee, which oversees issues related to AI. In a written statement, he said he was not personally involved in any of the transactions.
“I do not direct, influence, approve or participate in a single investment decision. I have placed my investable assets in a completely blind structure managed entirely by independent financial professionals, and transactions occur without my input, prior knowledge or direction,” he said in a statement to Gothamist.
Kean is running for re-election in New Jersey’s marquee race in the 7th Congressional District, the state’s one true swing district. Several prominent political watchdogs have graded his race against Democratic challenger Rebecca Bennett a 50-50 contest, despite the roughly 20,000 registered voter advantage that Republicans enjoy in the district. The outcome of the midterms will determine which party controls Congress for the remainder of President Donald Trump’s second term.
The proliferation of AI data centers issue has emerged as a key affordability and environmental issue in campaigns around the country. In New Jersey, nearly 100 of the state’s 564 municipalities have banned data centers in their cities and towns through local ordinance, according to tracking by local climate activists. A March 2026 analysis by the think tank New Jersey Policy Perspective blamed the rise of the industry for a sharp spike in electricity costs for consumers. The state has seen bills rise as much as 22% in the last year, one of the highest increases in the country.
Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot and first-time Democratic candidate, criticized Kean’s stock trades.
“If you want to know who Tom Kean Jr. fights for, take a look at his stock portfolio. Kean Jr. has voted to raise healthcare costs and give tax breaks to data centers while trading stocks in both industries,” she said in a written statement to Gothamist.
Bennett said she and her husband have divested all of their individual stocks. She also said she will not accept donations from corporate PACs, a pledge that many Democrats in other midterm races have made this election season.
“I will fight for a full stock trading ban for members of Congress because I want New Jerseyans to know exactly who I serve,” she added.
One of the companies from Kean’s latest disclosure, MasTec, highlights “End to End Data Center Delivery” on its website. “MasTec delivers fully integrated data center solutions across power, construction and communications,” according to the company’s ‘expertise’ page online.
Linde, the other data center company listed in Kean’s disclosure report, has been trying to build the first data center in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, though it has reportedly encountered opposition from local residents and elected officials.
In his statement, Kean claimed that reports on his stock portfolio are “false claims” being pushed by his opponent.
“My ethically challenged opponent has zero credibility while she continues to peddle claims she knows have already been proven false,” Kean said. “Independent reporting has already established that the claims pushed by my political opponents about my finances are false, and repeating a lie does not make it true.”
Each member of Congress is required to sign their disclosure reports affirming that the stock trading information linked to their personal finances is true.
Kean said he has been “the leading advocate in Congress to strengthen ethics rules and restore trust in government.”
“I helped pass legislation through the House to stop members of Congress from purchasing individual stocks, and I have authored bipartisan legislation to stop politicians from short-selling American companies and ban them from investing in America’s foreign adversaries. I have held myself to the single highest standard, and I am fighting to hold every politician to a higher standard.”
His most recent disclosure also shows he profited by up to $80,000 from the sale of shares in Google’s parent company, Alphabet, along with Amcor, Johnson & Johnson, and Microsoft. In June, Gothamist reported that Kean profited by as much $340,000 from stock trades during his 116-day absence from Congress, according to his disclosure forms. On June 30, Kean revealed that a long-term hospitalization for depression was the cause of his protracted time away from Washington.
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Mike Hayes
Mike Hayes covers equity and access to opportunity in New Jersey. He joined WNYC and Gothamist in 2023. Before that, he worked as a freelance journalist writing about policing and criminal justice. He has written for ProPublica, CNN, HuffPost, BuzzFeed News and The Appeal. He is also the author of the book, “The Secret Files: Bill De Blasio, The NYPD, and the Broken Promises of Police Reform.” In 2019, he was a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists.
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