Tom Kean Seeks 3rd Term Unopposed After Nearly 3-Month House Absence
Updated
Updated · CNN · Jun 1
Tom Kean Seeks 3rd Term Unopposed After Nearly 3-Month House Absence
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Jun 1
Tuesday’s New Jersey primary will send Rep. Tom Kean toward a third-term bid unopposed, even though he has not voted in the House since March 5.
A personal medical issue has kept Kean out of Washington for nearly three months, and GOP leaders still have no firm date for his return despite his earlier pledges to be back soon.
House Republicans say the unexplained absence is straining Speaker Mike Johnson’s narrow majority and fueling private concern about Kean’s health and whether he could be forced to leave the race later.
New Jersey law would let GOP county committee leaders fill a post-primary vacancy, but Kean still has backing from Johnson and a Trump endorsement in one of the country’s most competitive House seats.
Democrats have mostly held fire so far, though Republicans expect Kean’s absence to become a sharper general-election attack line after Tuesday’s four-way Democratic primary.