Republican Tom Kean Jr. has not appeared in public since March. However, he ran to secure a new nomination from his party in the state of New Jersey, according to the BBC.
The politician, who has not been seen in Washington or in his New Jersey constituency for months, secured the Republican Party's re-election nomination on Tuesday after recently receiving the endorsement of President Donald Trump.
“Tom Kean has my complete and total support for re-election,” Trump wrote on social media, adding: “HE WILL NEVER DISAPPOINT YOU!”
Kean ran unopposed in the primary and did not need to campaign. However, the American media reports that he was also absent from the Congress meetings, where he missed more than 100 votes.
In the November midterm elections, Kean will face Democrat Rebecca Bennett, a former US Navy helicopter pilot who won her party's primary on Tuesday.
“Missing” from Washington, present on the phone
Tom Kean was last seen in public on March 5. His team said in April that he was dealing with a medical issue, but his extended absence has become a topic of national interest in the US.
In the message of support posted Monday on Truth Social, Trump wrote that Kean is a “tremendous supporter of our America First agenda” and “works tirelessly.”
Shortly after his last congressional vote in March, colleagues, Republican officials and news outlets expressed concern about where he stood. Text messages went unanswered, as did requests for interviews.
An assistant told The New York Times: “There are no cameras where Tom is.”
In a statement released by his office on April 27, he said he expects to return soon.
“My doctors continue to assure me that I will make a full recovery and return to the job I love very soon,” Kean said in the statement published on X. “I expect to return to a full schedule and be 100 percent fit.”
Nearly a month later, Kean participated in a telephone interview with the New Jersey Globe and reiterated his intention to run for re-election and return to public life. “I understand the need for public transparency and appreciate the support of my constituents,” he said. “I anticipate that within the next two weeks I will be back on the ballot and on the campaign trail.”
As voters began casting their ballots on Tuesday, Kean was still nowhere to be seen. The BBC left a message at his office seeking comment.
The constituency he represents is considered undecided and has a high probability of swinging between Republicans and Democrats every election cycle, the BBC writes.
This area will be a key one for Republicans to hold in the November midterm elections, which will determine the balance of power in Congress. Democrats are seeking to remove him from office to tip the balance of power in their favor.
Given the stakes, Trump's endorsement of Kean is not surprising. The US president has frequently endorsed candidates in controversial or special situations.
