The father of a Republican lawmaker who has been missing from the public eye for more than two months has offered a vague explanation for his absence.
New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean Jr., 57, last voted in the House on March 5, sending his Republican colleagues into a panic over their already razor-thin majority. Even GOP leadership has been kept in the dark about his absence, according to Punchbowl News.
His father, former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean Sr., revealed that he has been battling a serious but temporary illness without offering any specifics.
“He’s hopefully coming back soon and he’s under the care of a doctor,” Kean Sr. told CNN, adding that his son had been seen by several doctors. “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 percent OK.”
Kean Sr. left any further disclosures about the specifics of the illness up to his son.
On Thursday, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that he had a “short, very positive conversation” with Kean Jr. 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,” he said. “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.”
Privately, however, Kean Jr.’s absence is becoming a growing concern among GOP operatives.
“I don’t have any idea what’s going on,” a senior House Republican leadership aide told Punchbowl News.
“This is about more than one person at this point; it’s about the vote and the ability to hold the seat in the fall,” another senior GOP leadership aide said. “The answer can’t simply be ‘trust us’ when nothing about their behavior has inspired trust.”
Kean Jr. won his seat with 51.4 percent of the vote in 2022 against incumbent Democrat Tom Malinowski.
The primaries for New Jersey’s seventh district are scheduled for June 2. Though Kean Jr. is currently the only GOP candidate, several Democrats are eyeing his seat.
