Tom Kean Jr. says depression diagnosis led to 117-day absence

Tom Kean Jr. returned to the House floor on Tuesday and said his 117-day absence from Congress stemmed from a depression diagnosis that led to an extended hospitalization. The New Jersey Republican told colleagues he had not known at the outset how long he would be away, and said he had hoped to come back within weeks.

Kean said he owed an explanation to the people of New Jersey’s 7th District, his colleagues and the American people for the silence around his condition. His office had previously described the absence only as a personal medical issue, a restrained answer that fueled more than 100 days of speculation while Kean stayed off Capitol Hill.

The absence carried immediate political consequences. Kean last voted in the House on March 5 and missed more than 140 votes as one of the chamber’s most vulnerable incumbents and New Jersey’s most endangered House Republican. He also lost months of time on the campaign trail in a district where every public appearance matters, especially with the general election set for Nov. 3 and Democrat Rebecca Bennett, a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, waiting on the other side after winning the Democratic primary on June 2.

The secrecy around Kean’s health drew unusual attention from within his own party. In April, Reps. Jeff Van Drew and Chris Smith said they had tried to reach him and got what Van Drew called "radio silence." Speaker Mike Johnson later said he had spoken with Kean by phone and described the matter as something "very common" and "not a scandalous thing at all," while also saying Kean had asked that the specific diagnosis not be disclosed.

Kean’s return to the House came the same day as a campaign fundraiser, with at least four more events scheduled later in the summer and fall. That schedule underscores how quickly the race for New Jersey’s 7th District has become a test of fitness, access and trust, not just party labels. The seat is among the most closely watched House contests in the country, and its outcome will help shape control of the next Congress.

Kean’s political name adds weight to the moment. He is the son of former New Jersey governor Tom Kean Sr., whose two terms made the family a fixture in state politics. That pedigree made the long absence harder to ignore, even as the underlying question now reaches beyond one family name: how much about a prolonged medical absence lawmakers should disclose when the voters they represent are left without answers.