{"id":695,"date":"2026-05-29T17:43:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T17:43:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=695"},"modified":"2026-05-29T17:43:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T17:43:42","slug":"republicans-just-realized-having-a-congressman-missing-in-action-could-be-bad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=695","title":{"rendered":"Republicans just realized having a congressman missing in action could be bad"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) has been absent from Congress for 85 days, and has missed over 100 votes. Now Republicans are realizing that they’re risking losing the seat. <\/p>\n

Read more Republican details why \u2018arsonist\u2019 Trump revels in his DC destruction<\/a><\/p>\n

The Washington Post <\/em>explained on Friday that the district is one of the country’s most competitive, so it would be a tough lift for any Republican in an election year that is stacking up to look like a “blue wave” even with the GOP’s redistricting gambit. <\/p>\n

\u201cNo one knows where he is and, from my understanding, the speaker doesn\u2019t know what the exact situation is,\u201d said Doug Heye, a longtime Republican operative. \u201cJust as there\u2019s no room for error in the congressional majority, there\u2019s no room for error in this congressional race.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kean hasn’t just been MIA from Congress; he hasn’t appeared in public to campaign either. The only thing that he’s been willing to say is that he’s been struck with an undisclosed illness and would be back “soon.” <\/p>\n

“My doctors are confident that I\u2019m on the road to a full recovery,” Kean told the New Jersey Globe in a phone interview last week.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand the need for public transparency, and I appreciate the support of my constituents,” he said. However, he still hasn’t provided any transparency about his “recovery.”<\/p>\n

Indeed, the Post<\/em> cited one GOP operative who works on House races who is frustrated with the “total information void.”<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one knows what is going on, which is leading to a lot of anxiety,\u201d the person said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot hold the majority without this seat. And folks need to know if he is capable of running for reelection and winning. … You can\u2019t just go missing for months and tell people they just need to be patient and wait without any accountability,” they added. <\/p>\n

Read more Geopolitical expert tears apart Trump NATO ambassador for omitting key detail<\/a><\/p>\n

One GOP House leadership aide explained, \u201cElected officials, especially in competitive districts, are held to a different standard and transparency comes with the job. Republicans have a swing seat to protect and a razor-thin majority.\u201d<\/p>\n

The problem for Kean is that he’s been labeled from the beginning as an “absentee congressman.” <\/p>\n

\u201cHe will be held accountable for betraying New Jersey families and for the damage he has inflicted when he\u2019s actually been in Washington to vote,\u201d the Post<\/em> wrote, quoting Eli Cousin, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). <\/p>\n

The primary elections are quickly approaching and Kean will quickly learn who his opponent is.<\/p>\n

The front runner so far has been Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot. She’s been withholding judgment on Kean’s absences. <\/p>\n

\u201cI sincerely wish him well. I hope he has a speedy recovery,\u201d she told the Post<\/em>. \u201cI certainly would have been more transparent about this if I was our member of Congress. And I think we do need to have rules about disclosure, both from a financial perspective as well as if you\u2019re going to have some sort of extended absence.\u201d<\/p>\n

The problem, she explained, is that it’s all part of his approach to politics from the start. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe is never around, he\u2019s not on the ground, he doesn\u2019t meet with voters, and he doesn\u2019t meet with constituents,\u201d Bennett said. \u201cAnd so, to me, this is just an extension of how he\u2019s been in office from the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Conservative says Trump nemesis has a real shot to win seat in deep-red state<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) has been absent from Congress for 85 days, and has missed over 100 votes. Now Republicans are realizing that they’re risking losing the seat. The Washington Post explained on Friday that the district is one of the country’s most competitive, so it would be a tough lift for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":184,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nRepublicans just realized having a congressman missing in action could be bad - Next Address America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=695\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Republicans just realized having a congressman missing in action could be bad - Next Address America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) has been absent from Congress for 85 days, and has missed over 100 votes. Now Republicans are realizing that they're risking losing the seat. 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