Republicans in the House are raising alarms over Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ), who has missed roughly 50 consecutive roll call votes since March 5 without any public explanation from his office.
Fellow New Jersey Republicans say they’ve heard nothing from Kean or his staff. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) described the situation as “complete radio silence,” telling NJ Spotlight News that he and Rep. Chris Smith have both tried to reach out. “Nobody’s covering up. We just haven’t heard a word,” Van Drew said.
Smith echoed the concern: “We’ve both reached out. Don’t know.”
Kean’s chief of staff, Dan Scharfenberger, issued a statement last week saying only that the congressman is “addressing a personal health matter” and would “be returning to a full regular schedule.” No diagnosis or timeline was provided. A consultant for Kean, Harrison Neely, told Politico, “Please know that he will be back on a regular full schedule very soon.”
The absence carries real political weight. Kean holds one of the most competitive House seats in the country.
The House currently sits at a 218-212 Republican majority with five seats vacant. The vacancies stem from a turbulent stretch of departures: Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Tony Gonzales (R-TX), and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) all resigned in recent weeks amid scandals. Rep. David Scott (D-GA) died Tuesday. An expulsion push is also underway against Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL).
With the margin this thin, a single absent member can stall or sink key legislation. Kean has served in Congress since 2023 and previously led the New Jersey Senate as minority leader. He sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee.
