Questions are growing around the disappearance of a Republican congressman, as reports emerge that his wife also hasn’t been seen.
New Jersey Republican Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. has been absent from Washington for more than 75 days, missing a series of votes on key legislation linked to President Donald Trump’s agenda as Republicans work to defend their narrow House majority heading into the midterms.
According to NOTUS, neighbors say the 57-year-old’s home has appeared vacant for weeks, with little indication of activity.
His wife, Rhonda, has also largely been absent, aside from one brief appearance. Residents said they have not seen her walking the family dog, and could not recall when her car was last in the driveway.
When approached by a NOTUS reporter about her husband’s status, she declined to comment, responding only with “No comment,” before quickly returning inside with a friend.
Kean and his wife have been married since 1994 and share two daughters, Elizabeth and Meredith.
Kean’s absence has caused concern inside the Republican Party as Democrats target his competitive Seventh District seat ahead of the November elections.
His district is one of the most competitive swing districts in the country. In 2024, Trump squeaked out a victory by just 1 percentage point.
Allies previously told The New York Times he remains committed to his re-election campaign.
In his first public statement since early March, Kean said last month that he had missed nearly two months of House activity due to a “personal medical issue,” but offered few details about his condition or timeline for returning to Washington. “I expect to return to a full schedule and be at 100 percent,” he added.
He said he expects a full recovery. “My doctors continue to assure me that my recovery will be complete and that I will be back to the job I love very soon.”
He did not provide any details about the medical issue.
Kean has not voted since March 5 and has missed 88 House roll call votes.
Despite Kean’s absence from Washington, his social media accounts have remained active. Since his last House vote, staffers have posted at least 115 times on his X account, according to NOTUS, including a first-person post published Wednesday.
His campaign newsletters have also continued going out, highlighting his accomplishments in Congress.
“Tom Kean’s office still sending out constituent newsletters like the guy hasn’t vanished off the face of the earth,” House staffer Aaron Fritschner wrote in an X post on Monday
At the same time, Kean has continued trading stocks. NOTUS reported that financial disclosures filed with Congress and digitally signed on April 13 showed he bought and sold shares in eight companies between mid- and late March, with the transactions totaling an estimated value between $50,008 and $190,000.
But his exact whereabouts remains a mystery, with House Speaker Mike Johnson speaking to him only once since his disappearance, according to Punchbowl News.
As questions surrounding Kean’s disappearance continue to grow, his father, former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean Sr., addressed the situation in an interview with CNN last week. He said his son is dealing with a serious but temporary illness, though he did not provide any further details.
“He’s hopefully coming back soon and he’s under the care of a doctor,” Kean Sr. told the outlet, adding he 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,” Kean Sr. continued. “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.”
