Congressman 'missing' for over 80 days spikes Republican anxiety as Navy pilot Democrat shakes up majority-making race

By VICTORIA CHURCHILL, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 01:44, 3 June 2026 | Updated: 01:58, 3 June 2026 Tom Kean Jr, a New Jersey Republican who has not cast a vote since March 5, easily advanced through his primary election on Tuesday as he ran unopposed without a challenger. Perhaps the anointment of a Democratic nominee will force him back into the public. Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, advanced to November's general election Tuesday night, easily besting a trio of other Democrats for the nomination. NBC projected Bennett's victory not even an hour after polls closed in the Garden State.  The 57-year-old Kean, the son of the former governor who has served in Congress since 2023, has been cryptic about his long-term absence from Capitol Hill.  Over the last 89 days, he even was avoidant with GOP leadership, setting off alarm bells through Capitol Hill corridors last month.  Kean has previously hinted at being sidelined by a medical issue, and in a statement on Tuesday afternoon, he noted that he planned to 'transition from virtual work to in-person work within a matter of weeks,' while also noting that he understood the need for clarity about his condition, promising 'complete transparency.' Kean currently represents New Jersey's 7th congressional district, a key target for Democrats in this year's midterm elections. The Cook Political Report rates Kean's seat as a 'toss-up' along with 13 others held by Republicans. President Donald Trump won the district by a single point in 2024. New Jersey Republican Tom Kean, Jr. listens during a hearing on Capitol Hill in December of 2023 Rebecca Bennett, Democrat candidate for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, speaks at a campaign event on Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Flemington, New Jersey In his typical fashion, the President issued an endorsement of Kean hours before the primary contest, encouraging his supporters to back the incumbent on Tuesday night. In his endorsement for Kean, Trump said 'he will never let you down.' Yet, with his cryptic absence, the argument that Kean has let his constituents down will likely be made forcefully by Democrats in the march to November. 'His months-long absence has put a spotlight on his self-inflicted vulnerabilities including playing the stock market while in office, putting loyalty to Donald Trump first, and failing to show up when the people of New Jersey need him most,' the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee noted in a Tuesday release. A GOP operative who spoke about the race with the Washington Post noted, 'We cannot hold the majority without this seat. And folks need to know if he is capable of running for reelection and winning. ... You can't just go missing for months and tell people they just need to be patient and wait without any accountability.' Bennett is exciting Democrats because she's seen as a prototype of Governor Mikie Sherrill, a moderate-facing female with a military background who can appeal to suburban voters with an independent streak.   Senior GOP staffers and lawmakers who spoke with Punchbowl News last month said they had received little to no information about Kean's condition or whereabouts.  When asked by NBC News when Kean planned to return, Speaker Mike Johnson acknowledged 'I don't know.' A spokesperson for Kean told Punchbowl that there was 'absolutely nothing to worry about' concerning his boss, adding that 'He will be 100 percent healthy and is excited to get back to work.' Kean, in a post made to his congressional campaign's social media page in late April, said that he was dealing with an unspecified 'personal medical issue' that he expects to recover from. '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,' Kean said in the statement. 'I expect to return to a full schedule and be at 100 percent. Kean has resisted disclosing a specific illness as the reason for his absence. 'I take my responsibilities seriously and have a strong record of showing up and delivering, which makes this absence all the more difficult,' he continued. Kean's campaign account has continued to post over the last several weeks, though none appear to be photographs taken in real time. The campaign's fundraising solicitation emails have emphasized how 'razor-thin the margin' is for GOP control in the US House. Kean won his 2024 race by nearly 7 percentage points but Kalshi markets have handed Bennett an 80 percent chance of flipping the seat as of Tuesday night.   No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. 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