After a roughly four-month absence that had become a political mystery, New Jersey Congressman Tom Kean Jr. has returned to Capitol Hill. Speaking from the floor of the House of Representatives, the Republican lawmaker offered an explanation for his prolonged disappearance, telling colleagues that he had been diagnosed and hospitalised with depression.
Kean represents New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, and his constituents had been left without a clear account of his whereabouts. He vanished from public view in early March and was gone for around 116 days, missing more than 100 votes. Until now, the only reason offered had been an undisclosed medical condition, with Kean reappearing at his home last week and saying he would address the matter directly.
In his remarks, Kean acknowledged that he had not expected his treatment to keep him away for so long. "I did not believe that this would result in a long-term stay," he said, adding that depression is "so much more than that. It is physical. It is emotional. And until you experience it yourself, it is difficult to fully understand."
The congressman framed his own experience within a much wider one, noting that more than 48 million Americans are being treated for the illness. Those who live with it, he said, "have come to discover there is no timeline for healing. There is no timeline for recovery. Only the work of getting better one day at a time."
Kean was not the only public figure invoked in connection with the disclosure. Among those who have spoken openly about depression is Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who discussed his own treatment during his first term in office, part of a broader, if still uneven, willingness among elected officials to address mental health publicly.
Even as the personal explanation drew sympathy, practical and political questions remained. Kean continued to collect his congressional salary during his absence, and his return comes as he faces a hotly contested race in November in the 7th District. According to local reporting, he was due to hold a conference call with Republican officials and a campaign fundraiser the same day, signalling a swift step back into political life.