New Jersey Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr., who’s been absent from Congress since March with an unspecified medical issue, is set to return on June 30, a political consultant to the congressman said Thursday.<\/p>\n
Kean, who represents a battleground district in this year’s midterms, has missed more than 100 votes and hasn’t been spotted in Washington or his district, stirring a mystery that carries potential national consequences. Kean\u2019s office has said he is still running for reelection and is set to face Democratic Navy veteran Rebecca Bennett in the state’s premier contest in November.<\/p>\n The district is among the most closely watched in this year’s election. In the past two midterm elections, the seat changed party hands, with Kean winning in 2022 over Democrat Tom Malinowski, who had defeated Republican Leonard Lance in 2018.<\/p>\n Kean last voted in the House on March 5, but his absence wasn\u2019t explained. In April, his social media account posted that he had been dealing with a personal medical issue and his doctors expected him to recover.<\/p>\n On Primary Day this month, President Donald Trump endorsed Kean\u2019s reelection, without mentioning his absence, and the same day, Kean said in a statement he expected to return to work in a matter of weeks. Kean comes from a long line of public servants, stretching 250 years to the country\u2019s founding when one of his ancestors became New Jersey\u2019s first leader since independence. His great-grandfather was a senator, his grandfather was a congressman and his father is the former two-term governor, Tom Kean Sr.
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“Congressman Kean is eager to return to in person work on June 30 and resume a full schedule,” said Kean political consultant Harrison Neely in a text. \u201cHe plans to be fully transparent regarding the nature of his health issue and you should expect to hear from him in person June 30th.”<\/p>\n
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He hasn’t explain what the medical issue was.<\/p>\n
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