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NJ Rep. Tom Kean Jr. says depression was cause of monthslong unexplained absence
By
Mike Hayes
Published Jun 30, 2026
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By
Mike Hayes
Published Jun 30, 2026
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Rep. Tom Kean Jr. said he was hospitalized with depression earlier this year, speaking publicly for the first time during a speech on the House floor Tuesday after the New Jersey Republican went missing in action for nearly four months.
" Now, when people hear the word 'depression,' many people think simply it means feeling sad. But depression is so much more than that. It is physical. It is emotional. And until you experience it yourself, it is difficult to fully understand how powerful this illness can be,” Kean said during his five-minute speech.
Prior to Tuesday, Kean was last seen in the House of Representatives on March 5. During his 116 day absence, the congressman, who is New Jersey’s former state Senate minority leader and the son of a former governor, missed more than 100 votes. Neither he nor his office ever publicly explained his absence until Tuesday.
On June 1, a day before the primary in New Jersey, Kean posted on social media that he expected to be back at work in a matter of “weeks.” He was uncontested and easily won the primary.
Kean said Tuesday that several months ago he entered the hospital for “testing” due to health concerns and was given the diagnosis of depression.
“ I did not believe that this would result in a long-term stay,” he said, without disclosing the exact amount of time that he was hospitalized.
Kean is expected to face a hard re-election campaign this fall in New Jersey’s 7th District, which includes towns on the eastern edge of the state just south of Newark and stretches west to more rural areas. Republicans hold about a 3% registration advantage over Democrats in the district. But the seat has been on Democrats’ radar ever since President Donald Trump only carried it by about 2% in 2024. The following year, Gov. Mikie Sherrill flipped the district from red to blue — winning it by about 1%.
The Cook Political Report recently moved his contest with Democratic nominee Rebecca Bennett from “lean R” to “toss-up.” Bennett has also managed to pace Kean in fundraising. She said last week that she wished Kean a speedy recovery while pointing out that he has continued to raise money for his campaign during his months away from Congress.
“Since he's been absent from Congress, he has still raised more than $800,000 from donors and corporate PACs. If he is well enough to raise campaign money, voters deserve to know when he will be back doing the job they elected him to do,” she said.
Kean said Tuesday that he is grateful that he listened to his doctors and thanked his constituents, staff and family for getting him through some “difficult days.”
“ I am grateful to be back with the full support of my doctors,” Kean said.
Politico reported that Kean will host a fundraiser for donors in Washington on Tuesday night.
Earlier on Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, was asked about Kean’s return. He called him a “good man” and said he would win re-election “easily.”
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new jersey
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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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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