New Jersey Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. disclosed Tuesday that he was being treated for depression during his unexplained four-month absence from the House, suggesting in a brief floor speech that he remained silent about his condition until now because he is a “private person by nature.”
Depression, Kean said, “is physical, it is emotional, and until you experience it yourself, it is difficult to fully understand how powerful this illness can be.”
Kean’s reappearance came weeks after his victory in an uncontested primary on June 2 and months after he last cast his vote in the House. His speech ended the silence on his condition, yet left questions unanswered. Kean said he first entered the hospital due to health concerns and underwent testing, but offered no further details.
After the speech, Kean left the Capitol quickly without answering questions from reporters.
Kean last voted in the House on March 5. His absence had complicated matters for House Republican leaders, who have been struggling to pass bills with their threadbare majority.
Addressing his earlier statement that he expected to return to work in a matter of weeks, Kean said he believed that at the time and it was his doctors’ best estimate.
“But as the over 48 million of my fellow Americans being treated for this illness have come to discover there is no timeline for healing,” Kean said.
“Today I stand before you healthier, stronger and excited to return to the work that I love.”
A second-term lawmaker and scion of a New Jersey political family, Kean represents a battleground district that includes President Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf club.
What the House speaker says about Kean’s return
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., spoke before Kean’s speech and predicted that people would respond with empathy to his disclosure. He said he encouraged Kean to “be transparent” when he addresses his colleagues — and the public — on his return.
“There’s no conspiracy involved in this, nothing scandalous at all,” Johnson said. “If it were me, I would have been more specific about that and I encouraged him to be.”
Johnson added that he thinks Kean would be “easily” reelected in November.
The mystery over Kean’s absence had potential political implications, given the competitive district he represents and the Republican Party’s narrow control of the House. His office has said he is still running for reelection and is set to face Democratic nominee Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, in New Jersey’s most high-profile contest in November.
Democrats have targeted the district as a prime pick-up opportunity, given that the seat has changed hands in the last two midterm elections. Kean won in 2022 by defeating Democrat Tom Malinowski, who had defeated Republican Leonard Lance in 2018.
Trump has endorsed Kean’s reelection, without mentioning his absence.
Kean comes from a long line of public servants, stretching 250 years to the country’s founding when one of his ancestors became New Jersey’s first leader since independence.
Kean’s great-grandfather was a senator, his grandfather was a congressman and his father is the former two-term governor, Tom Kean Sr.