New Jersey GOP Rep Kean loses reelection, after long, unexplained absence from Congress

Democrat Rebecca Bennett defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. in New Jersey’s 7th district.

Kean was seeking his third term in a district that has switched parties in each of the last two midterm elections, according to the Associated Press, which called the race for Bennett at 9:48 p.m. ET. Kean was elected during the 2022 midterms, taking the seat from Democrat Tom Malinowski, who won the seat during the 2018 midterms.

With 77% of the vote counted, Bennett leads Kean by 20.9 percentage points.

Kean’s re-election bid was hurt in part by his unexplained absence earlier this year, during which he missed more than 100 votes due to what was described as a health issue. When Kean finally re-emerged, he said he had been hospitalized due to depression.

This is a developing story.