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Republican Rep. Tom Kean’s two-month absence continues as House returns

Nbcwashington · · 234 words · By Kyle Stewart; Sarah Mimms; NBC News
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What to know about Republican Rep. Tom Kean’s two-month absence continues as House returns

of New Jersey, who has not voted in the House since March 5, will miss another week of work in Washington as the House returns Tuesday, his office told NBC News.

Claims checked 9
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center75%
Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

of New Jersey, who has not voted in the House since March 5, will miss another week of work in Washington as the House returns Tuesday, his office told NBC News.

Why it matters

Kean’s office has said his two-month absence is related to a “personal health matter” but has not elaborated.

Common ground

The congressman has missed 68 votes in the House, including on legislation to end the record 75-day shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/politics/republican-rep-tom-keans-two-month-a…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4
verified Verified By Reference 2
info Single Source 2
cancel Disputed 1
verified
Claim 1: “Kean, 57, is also running for re-election in his Westfield-based seat, New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia confirms Tom Kean Jr. represents New Jersey's 7th congressional district and was born September 5, 1968 (making him 57 in 2025/2026).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — After Midnight: Kean College, 2/28/80 is a live album by the Jerry Garcia Band. It was recorded in Union Township, Union County, New Jersey, at Kean College on February 28, 1980, and released in 2004.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Midnight:_Kean_College,_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — New Jersey's 7th congressional district includes all of Hunterdon and Warren Counties; and parts of Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Union Counties. The district is represented by Republican Thomas Kean …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey's_7th_congressional…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Thomas Howard Kean Jr. ( KAYN; born September 5, 1968) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 7th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican P…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Kean_Jr.
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 2: “Kean does not have a Republican opponent in the state’s June 2 primary”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence mentions he is running for re-election, but does not explicitly confirm the lack of a Republican opponent in the June 2 primary.
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web search NEUTRAL — Tom Kean Jr. said his weeks-long absence from Capitol Hill is because of a medical issue. Kean Jr., 57, represents the Garden State's 7th District, encompassing Hunterdon and Warren counties, along wi…
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/tom-kean-jr-medical-iss…
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web search NEUTRAL — The New Jersey Republican has not voted in the House since March 5, citing a “personal health matter.” He’s running for re-election in a top swing district targeted by Democrats this year. Tom Kean.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/republican-rep-tom…
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web search NEUTRAL — New Jersey Republican State Senator Thomas H Kean Jr and Democratic incumbent Senator Robert Menendez face each other in final televised election debate of senatorial campaign; sharpest exchanges in d…
https://www.nytimes.com/topic/thomas-h-kean-jr?page=10
info
Claim 3: “The congressman has missed 68 votes in the House”
SINGLE SOURCE
While multiple sources confirm he has missed 'dozens' of votes or has not voted since March 5, the specific number '68' is not explicitly corroborated across multiple independent sources in the provided evidence.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 8, 2022, as part of the 2022 United States elections during President Joe Biden's term. Representatives were elected fro…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_United_States_House_of_Re…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey were held on November 5, 2024, to elect the twelve U.S. representatives from the State of New Jersey, one from all twelve of the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_United_States_House_of_Re…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the 12 U.S. representatives from the State of New Jersey, one from all 12 of the stat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_House_of_Re…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 4: “legislation to end the record 75-day shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security”
CORROBORATED
Three separate web search results explicitly mention the 'record 75-day shutdown' of the Department of Homeland Security.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States secretary of homeland security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the federal department tasked with border control, counterterrorism and other aspects…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_Hom…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An American national security policy, homeland security is "the national effort to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards where American interests, a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeland_security
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, comparable to interior ministries abroad. Its missions involve anti-te…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Ho…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 5: “having earned President Donald Trump’s endorsement”
CORROBORATED
One source explicitly states 'Kean endorsed Trump this week', and other sources discuss the political implications of his relationship with Trump, supporting the fact of endorsement.
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web search NEUTRAL — If Kean, Jr. answers this question in the affirmative, that he agrees with his father as to the unfitness for the presidency of Donald Trump, his campaign will be doomed to defeat. The desertions from…
https://www.insidernj.com/the-condemnation-of-trump-by-kean-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Tom Kean Jr. is fending off a challenge from Democrat Sue Altman. Cook Political Report calls it a tossup. Kean endorsed Trump this week, while the jury was deliberating.
https://www.nj.com/opinion/2024/06/yes-this-guilty-verdict-c…
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web search NEUTRAL — “Tom Kean Jr.’s number one priority has always been and always will be his own political career.The vulnerable freshman has gone to great lengths to avoid the convicted felon former president. When Do…
https://dccc.org/the-case-against-tom-kean-jr-3/
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Claim 6: “Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey, who has not voted in the House since March 5, will miss another week of work in Washington as the House returns Tuesday”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent news sources (NBC News, CNN, and another web result) confirm that Rep. Tom Kean Jr. has not voted since March 5 and is missing work.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Thomas Howard Kean Jr. ( KAYN; born September 5, 1968) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 7th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican P…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Kean_Jr.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Thomas More Barrett (born April 30, 1981) is an American politician, financial analyst, and former U.S. Army officer serving as the U.S. representative for Michigan's 7th congressional district since …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Barrett_(Michigan_politici…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 United States House of Representatives elections are scheduled to be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, as part of the 2026 midterm elections during President Donald Trump's second nonconsecu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_House_of_Re…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 7: “Kean’s office has said his two-month absence is related to a “personal health matter””
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including NBC News and a statement reported by another news outlet, confirm the office attributed the absence to a 'personal health matter' or 'personal medical issue'.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 United States House of Representatives elections in New Jersey will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the 12 U.S. representatives from the State of New Jersey, one from all 12 of the stat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_House_of_Re…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Thomas Howard Kean Jr. ( KAYN; born September 5, 1968) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 7th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican P…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Kean_Jr.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Thomas More Barrett (born April 30, 1981) is an American politician, financial analyst, and former U.S. Army officer serving as the U.S. representative for Michigan's 7th congressional district since …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Barrett_(Michigan_politici…
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 8: “Kean was first elected to the House in 2022”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia explicitly states that Thomas Kean Jr. was first elected in 2022 to represent New Jersey's 7th congressional district.
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Claim 9: “Four Democrats are competing for the nomination to run against him in November, according to the New Jersey Globe”
DISPUTED
One source (Daily Kos) states 'Five Democrats are vying for the Democratic nomination', while the claim states 'Four Democrats'.
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web search NEUTRAL — Five Democrats are vying for the Democratic nomination in the June 2nd primary (early voting begins May 26th). Kean represents New Jersey’s most competitive House seat — the 7th Congressional District…
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/5/12/800036793/communi…
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web search NEUTRAL — This year’s filing deadline for candidates running for the U.S. House of Representatives in New Jersey was March 23, 2026. Fifty-two candidates — 38 Democrats and 14 Republicans — are running for New …
https://news.ballotpedia.org/2026/05/08/fifty-two-candidates…
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web search NEUTRAL — Eleven candidates are running in a special primary election on Thursday to fill Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s former seat. They include a former member of Congress and the former lieutenant governor.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/nyregion/new-jersey-speci…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.