Elections 2000 Kean sought the Republican nomination for
New Jersey's 7th congressional district, but lost the primary to
Mike Ferguson by about 4,000 votes, finishing second in a field of four candidates.
2020 On April 16, 2019, Kean announced that he was running for
New Jersey's 7th congressional district in
2020, challenging first-term Democratic incumbent
Tom Malinowski. In the first quarter of 2019, Kean nearly matched Malinowski's fundraising total of over $500,000. In August 2019, Kean was endorsed by House Minority Leader
Kevin McCarthy. Kean won the Republican primary over token opposition, and narrowly lost to Malinowski in the general election. It was the closest House race in New Jersey and one of the closest in the country; due to the close margin and slow counting of mail-in and provisional ballots, the outcome remained in doubt until nearly two weeks after the election.
2022 Kean announced in February 2021 that he would not seek reelection to the
State Senate and immediately became the subject of speculation that he was preparing to run for
New Jersey's 7th congressional district again. Malinowski was under scrutiny after his failure to disclose more than 100 stock trades became a national news story and led to a complaint filed with the House Ethics Committee. In redistricting, the 7th district was made more Republican while the neighboring
11th and
5th districts became more solidly Democratic. Kean formally announced his campaign on July 14, 2021, joined by
U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. He won the Republican primary in June 2022 and the general election with 51.4% (159,392 votes) to Malinowski's 48.6% (150,701 votes).
2024 Kean won reelection in 2024 against Democratic nominee Sue Altman, a former leader of the New Jersey's
Working Families Party.
Tenure in April 2024 Kean is a member of the
Republican Main Street Partnership, and joined the
Problem Solvers Caucus. Kean said he joined the caucus to assure constituents that he remains committed to "working across the aisle". Critics have called Kean out for not holding in-person town halls, especially Sue Altman, his opponent in the 2024 election. Others counter that Kean's lesser media presence is a strength. Fred Snowflack of
Insider New Jersey reported "Dating back to last fall's campaign, most of those griping about Kean's incommunicado ways were the media and voters who probably were not going to support him anyway." During his 2022 election campaign, Kean, who self-describes as pro-choice, promised voters that he would support abortion rights. After the
Dobbs decision, he said "this decision is now best to happen on the state level." During his tenure, he voted against the
Women's Health Protection Act which would have codified the abortion rights that the Supreme Court overturned. In 2024, Kean, one of 17 House Republicans representing a district that voted for
Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, endorsed
Donald Trump. An April 27 social media post to Kean's official
X account stated that he was dealing with an unspecified medical issue and that he planned to return to his duties in the near future.
Committee assignments For the 119th Congress: •
Committee on Foreign Affairs •
Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa •
Subcommittee on South and Central Asia •
Committee on Energy & Commerce •
Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade •
Subcommittee on Communications and Technology •
Subcommittee on Health Caucus memberships •
Problem Solvers Caucus •
Climate Solutions Caucus == Personal life ==