Further details are emerging about the disappearance of New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean Jr. from Congress for over two months.
In an interview with CNN, former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean Sr. said his son is receiving medical treatment and is expected to make a full recovery.
“He’s hopefully coming back soon, and he’s under the care of a doctor,” Kean Sr. said, adding that his son had been evaluated by multiple physicians.
“They all agree he’s going to be fine. He’s under a doctor’s care.”
“It took a real illness to knock him out,” he added.
“This won’t linger. It’s not some kind of disease that’s going to incapacitate him in the future. The consensus is that he will be 100% OK.”
NEW: I spoke to father of Tom Kean, the absent congressman.
Kean Sr. told he’s been seen by several doctors.“They all agree he’s going to be fine. He’s under a doctor’s care. This won’t linger. It’s not some kind of disease that’s going to incapacitate him in the future.” pic.twitter.com/YuNTm2FqfF
— Andrew Kaczynski (@KFILE) May 15, 2026
Kean Sr. declined to provide details about the illness, saying any decision to disclose further information rests with his son.
His office has also provided little detail about his whereabouts or condition.
His chief of staff said this week only that the congressman “is still attending to a personal health matter” and would return to a full schedule soon.
NYT: “He’s dealing with a personal heath condition, and he’ll be back soon”, Rep. Tom Kean’s chief of staff Dan Scharfenberger said in an interview.
When pressed on the nature of the health condition and why Kean had not been seen in New Jersey or in Washington, Scharfenberger… https://t.co/LK1ewZ9uPd pic.twitter.com/aPzQp9wN6x
— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) May 14, 2026
The absence has sparked concern among House Republicans, particularly given the GOP’s narrow majority in the chamber.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he spoke with Kean roughly two weeks ago.
“He sounded great. He said he was, you know, out on a medical issue, and he’ll be back as soon as possible,” Johnson told reporters.
“Like everyone, sometimes things happen that are out of our control. We have medical issues. We’ve got to deal with them. So that’s what this is,” he added.
Kean last cast a vote on March 5th, according to congressional records, and has missed dozens of votes since.
The Republican congressman, first elected in 2022, represents New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, a competitive suburban seat Democrats are targeting in the 2026 midterms.
His upcoming Republican primary currently has no challenger, while several Democrats are competing for the nomination on the other side.
Ben Kew is a writer and editor. Originally from the UK, he moved to the U.S. to cover Congress for Breitbart News and has since gone on to editorial roles at Human Events, Townhall Media, and Americano Media. He has also written for The Epoch Times, The Western Journal, and The Spectator.
You can email Ben Kew here, and read more of Ben Kew’s articles here.
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