Tom Kean faces tight New Jersey race after months out of public view

Cook shifted the seventh district from toss-up to lean Democratic

The closely watched Cook Political Report moved New Jersey’s seventh congressional district from “toss-up” to “lean Democrat” last month, and The Guardian described the contest between Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Kean and Democrat Rebecca Bennett as tight in one of the wealthiest districts in the nation. The Guardian also reported that the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC dedicated to helping House Republicans, and the Trump-affiliated Safety and Affordability Pac had reportedly canceled remaining funding for Kean’s district. When the New Jersey Globe asked Kean about the pulled funding, he dismissed concerns and pointed to $6.2 million from the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Campaign manager Harrison Neely said, “If you take a step back and look at the facts, Republicans have outspent Democrats in this district to this point.” He added, “Our campaign is fully funded down the home stretch, and will be matching the Bennett campaign dollar for dollar on the airwaves.”

Kean, 58, was not seen in Congress or in public for more than three months and missed 100 votes without explanation. During that absence, he reserved public appearances, while the episode drew months of discussion and national headlines. Kean resurfaced at the end of June and said he had been hospitalized for depression. A Bloomberg/Getty Images photograph in The Guardian’s report showed Kean voting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on June 30.

Albie, a New Jersey voter attending a No Kings protest in New Providence last weekend, said, “I think mental health issues aside, which are serious … I don’t think he handled the issue very well.” Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, appeared to agree in August. “You know, if it were me, I would have done it a little sooner,” Johnson told the New York Times of Kean’s reluctance to explain his absence. The report said Johnson, like many others, was sympathetic to Kean’s health condition, which affects millions of Americans. A Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call Inc/Getty Images caption showed Kean walking down the House steps after the last vote of the week at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 3.

Since his return, Kean has faced criticism over media access. His campaign denied a New York Times reporter entry to an August event attended by other outlets, and Kean refused to take questions after a livestreamed debate against Bennett. The Guardian sent two emails requesting an interview or access to a campaign event; both went unanswered. On Thursday, New York Magazine reported that its multiple requests for an interview had gone unanswered.

Kean’s campaign manager, Harrison Neely, initially did not respond to a text seeking an interview or campaign access, but responded to a later message asking for a brief interview on Thursday. “I think the narrative that congressman Kean doesn’t engage with the press is simply false,” Neely said. He said the campaign prefers to communicate directly with voters. Neely noted that Kean gives interviews mostly to local reporters and that the campaign has invited local outlets to cover events. The campaign recently challenged Bennett to a debate on WRNJ, a local radio station, but the Bennett campaign declined. “So you know, I think it’s basically fair to say that congressman Kean does more local press engagements than any sitting member of the New Jersey delegation,” Neely said.

Democrats selected Bennett, a moderate political newcomer, to challenge Kean, and she is cautiously optimistic that she can flip a battleground district in New Jersey for the Democrats in next month’s midterm. After a meet-and-greet with voters in Basking Ridge last Sunday, Bennett told reporters: “We’re going to do everything we can for the next 16 days to flip the seat, but we are feeling good about where we are.” She added, “We’re seeing a ton of momentum and enthusiasm on the ground.” A Kena Betancur/Getty Images caption showed Bennett at a rally at Raritan Valley community college on Oct. 16 in Branchburg, New Jersey.

Bennett, 39, is a former Navy helicopter pilot and aircraft commander and a former executive at an online healthcare company. Democrats in New Jersey hope Bennett’s moderate stance can appeal to district voters, including many 2024 Trump voters who have expressed discontent with the economy. Bennett’s messaging focuses mostly on affordability. “I understand the challenges that we’re facing because my family is dealing with them too,” Bennett said. “My oldest kid’s in public school. My youngest is in daycare. And so when we talk about the cost-of-living crisis we’re dealing with, this is not abstract talking points on a page – this is my life.”

Bennett said she often hears “deeply frustrated” voters bring up Kean’s willingness to let Trump unleash his agenda, such as voting for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, continuing the war with Iran or not doing enough to stop Trump from halting funding for the Gateway Hudson Tunnel Project between New Jersey and New York.

The Guardian reported that most Republicans fighting for reelection while aligned with Trump were grappling with the impact of the president’s growing unpopularity. The outlet said Trump’s war with Iran had piled pressure on the U.S. economy, driving up fuel and grocery costs and angering voters who were promised lower prices under his administration. Separately, Trump had threatened fresh tariffs on global imports. The report said nothing was certain in New Jersey’s seventh congressional district, which has seesawed between Republican and Democratic representatives since 2018. The district voted for Trump by a slim majority in 2024 and elected Democrat Mikie Sherrill as governor in 2025.

Before his absence, Kean had a war chest of more than $2.4 million in February, Donald Trump’s endorsement and a district whose lines were redrawn in 2022 to benefit Republicans. The Guardian described him as an established political figure with widespread name recognition and said his father’s stint as governor of New Jersey had contributed to that recognition.

As Kean’s campaign pushed back against the claim that it does not engage with the media, The Guardian spent time driving around the district one weekend earlier this month before reaching Neely by phone that week. The outlet reported an apparent lack of Tom Kean Jr. lawn signs in the Trump-friendly Bedminster area and said his campaign appeared less present. The Cook rating stood at “lean Democrat,” while Bennett said she would spend the next 16 days trying to flip the seat.