Thomas Kean Jr.
Thomas Kean Jr., a Republican who has represented New Jersey's 7th congressional district since 2023, seeks re-election in 2026 against Democrat Rebecca Bennett, a healthcare executive and former Navy aviator.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
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- Born
- September 5, 1968
- Birthplace
- Livingston, New Jersey
- Education
- Pingry School
Dartmouth College
The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University (Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Thomas Kean Jr. was born in Livingston, New Jersey, on September 5, 1968, to Deborah (née Bye) and Thomas Kean, who served as governor of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990. His grandfather Robert Kean was a congressman from New Jersey.
Kean grew up on the family's estate in Livingston, graduated from the Pingry School and Dartmouth College, and earned a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
Early in his career he worked as an aide to Congressman Bob Franks and as a special assistant at the United States Environmental Protection Agency in the George H. W. Bush administration.
Career
Thomas Kean Jr. entered the New Jersey General Assembly by appointment in April 2001 and won a full term that November. In March 2003 he was appointed to the New Jersey Senate for the 21st legislative district, where he served until 2022 and was minority leader from 2008 to 2022. As the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2006, he lost to Bob Menendez, 53.3% to 44.3%.
After narrowly losing to Democratic incumbent Tom Malinowski in New Jersey's 7th congressional district in 2020, Kean won their 2022 rematch with 51.4% of the vote and took office in 2023. He was re-elected in 2024 against Sue Altman, a former leader of the New Jersey Working Families Party.
In the 119th Congress he serves on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and he is a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus and the Republican Main Street Partnership.
2026 race
Thomas Kean Jr. is seeking re-election in the 7th district, which encompasses the New Jersey Highlands of Hunterdon and Warren counties and which he won with 51.7% of the vote in 2024. He was unopposed in the 2026 Republican primary.
Kean was absent from Congress from March 6 to June 30, 2026, and on his return he said a depression diagnosis and subsequent hospitalization had caused the absence, which became an issue in the campaign.
He faces Democrat Rebecca Bennett, a healthcare executive and former United States Navy aviator who won her party's primary with 45.3% of the vote, in the general election on November 3, 2026.