News · Press Release

DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene On Kean Jr.’s Unexplained Absence: “The People in New Jersey Haven’t Had Representation”

DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene is calling out missing Congressman Tom Kean Jr. for failing to show up for the New Jersey families he was elected to serve.

Chair DelBene’s message to Kean Jr. is simple: “The people in New Jersey haven’t had representation, and that is unacceptable.”

Chair DelBene added that “Rebecca Bennett has been an incredibly strong candidate” who will finally give New Jersey families the servant leadership they deserve in Washington.

Read highlights from DelBene’s interview in the New Jersey Globe:

New Jersey Globe: DCCC chair calls Kean’s unexplained absence ‘unacceptable’

  • The chair of the House Democrats’ political arm said it was “unacceptable” for Rep. Tom Kean Jr. to be absent from the Capitol without an explanation.
  • Kean has not been seen in Washington since early March, missing more than 100 roll call votes. He is expected back next week and has promised to explain his absence upon his return.
  • “He had a reputation as someone who wasn’t present in his district, and clearly, I wish him the best, but it is his job also to be transparent with his community and there has been, no clarity about why he has been gone so long,” Rep. Suzan DelBene, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told Washington-based reporters for local news outlets, including the New Jersey Globe.
  • “The people in New Jersey haven’t had representation, and that is unacceptable,” said DelBene, D-Wash.
  • Kean, running for re-election in the 7th Congressional District, is one of 24 House Republicans on the DCCC’s target list as House Democrats seek to win the three seats they need to regain the majority. His race is rated a tossup by the Cook Political Report, while Inside Elections gives his Democratic challenger, former Navy helicopter pilot Rebecca Bennett, a slight edge in the general election.
  • “Rebecca Bennett has been an incredibly strong candidate on the ground, talking to folks all the time, obviously has a strong background in public service and her military experience to bring to the table,” DelBene said.

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