New Jersey Rep. Kean reveals depression diagnosis after months absent

Tom Kean Jr. returned to the House floor on June 30 and said he had been diagnosed with depression and hospitalized for treatment on doctors’ advice. The New Jersey Republican told colleagues he was grateful for the care he received and made his case in personal terms, saying, “I’m grateful that I accepted help,” and arguing that asking for help is a strength.

Kean’s disclosure ended more than 100 days of public uncertainty about his absence. He last voted in the House on March 5 and missed more than 140 votes while Republican leaders tried to move their agenda through a chamber where they held only a razor-thin majority. Kean’s staff had previously described the problem only as a personal medical condition, offering no details and leaving questions to mount as the absence stretched from March into late June.

His return also carried immediate political weight in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, a competitive suburban seat he won in 2024 and is seeking to keep this year. He advanced from the Republican primary on June 2, and Ballotpedia lists the district’s general election for November 3, 2026. That makes his vote, and his visibility, especially consequential in a district where even small swings can matter.

The stakes were heightened by the timing. Kean had not appeared publicly on the House floor since March 5, and his prolonged absence became a liability as House Republicans worked with little margin for error. His reappearance gave voters the first explanation for a gap that had fueled concern and speculation for months, while also underscoring the political tension that can arise when a lawmaker’s health interrupts representation.

For Kean, the disclosure turned a private medical episode into a matter of public record. It also placed depression, a serious illness, at the center of a very public question: what elected officials owe constituents when treatment forces them away from Capitol Hill.