Thomas Howard Kean Jr. ( ; born September 5, 1968) is an American Republican politician and the U.S. representative-elect from New Jersey's 7th congressional district. From 2001 until 2003, he was a

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

man, representing the 21st legislative district, which includes parts of Union, Morris,

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...

, and

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

counties. In 2003, he was elected a New Jersey state senator representing the same district, and in January 2008 he became minority leader of the New Jersey Senate, serving in the position until retiring from the Senate in 2022. After Governor

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Christie, who was born in ...

was reelected in 2013, Christie tried and failed to remove Kean as minority leader. Kean was frequently mentioned as a potential Republican candidate for governor in the 2017 New Jersey gubernatorial election, but did not seek the nomination. He was the Republican nominee for New Jersey's 7th congressional district in 2020, narrowly losing to incumbent Democrat Tom Malinowski in the

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

. He was the Republican nominee for the 7th district again in 2022, defeating Malinowski in a rematch.

Early life

Kean was born in Livingston, one of twin sons of Deborah (née Bye) and Thomas Kean, who went on to be twice elected governor of New Jersey, serving from 1982 to 1990; the couple also had a daughter. Thomas Jr. grew up on the family's estate in Livingston. His grandfather is

Robert Kean Robert Winthrop Kean (September 28, 1893 – September 21, 1980) was an American Republican Party politician and member of one of the nation's oldest and longest serving political families. Kean represented parts of Essex County, New Jersey ...

, a former congressman from New Jersey. His great-grandfather Hamilton Fish Kean and great-great-uncle John Kean were both U.S. senators. His grandmother's family are descendants of

Peter Stuyvesant Peter Stuyvesant (; in Dutch language, Dutch also ''Pieter'' and ''Petrus'' Stuyvesant, ; 1610 – August 1672)Mooney, James E. "Stuyvesant, Peter" in p.1256 was a Dutch colonial officer who served as the last Dutch Director of New Netherlan ...

, the Dutch colonial governor of

New Amsterdam New Amsterdam ( nl, Nieuw Amsterdam, or ) was a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''factory'' gave rise ...

(now known as

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

). His great-grandmother Katharine Winthrop was a direct descendant of

John Winthrop John Winthrop (January 12, 1587/88 – March 26, 1649) was an English Puritan lawyer and one of the leading figures in founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the second major settlement in New England following Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led ...

, the first governor of the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...

. He is also a direct descendant of Thomas Dudley, governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and a signer of

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher ...

's charter. His second great-great-uncle was

Hamilton Fish Hamilton Fish (August 3, 1808September 7, 1893) was an American politician who served as the List of Governors of New York, 16th Governor of New York from 1849 to 1850, a United States Senate, United States Senator from New York (state), New Y ...

, a U.S. senator, governor of New York, and U.S. Secretary of State. He is also a relative of William Livingston, the first governor of New Jersey. Kean graduated from the Pingry School in Basking Ridge. He is also a graduate of

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

and holds a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the

Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is the graduate school of international affairs of Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts. The School is one of America's oldest graduate schools of international relations and is well-ranked in it ...

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learnin ...

, where he completed doctoral studies ABD in international relations. At Dartmouth, he was a member of the

Psi Upsilon Psi Upsilon (), commonly known as Psi U, is a Fraternities and sororities in North America, North American fraternity,''Psi Upsilon Tablet'' founded at Union College on November 24, 1833. The fraternity reports 50 chapters at colleges and univers ...

fraternity. He was an aide to former Congressman Bob Franks and a special assistant at the

United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it ...

in the George H. W. Bush administration. He has also been a volunteer firefighter and a volunteer

emergency medical technician An emergency medical technician (EMT), also known as an ambulance technician, is a health professional that provides emergency medical services. EMTs are most commonly found working in ambulances. In English-speaking countries, paramedics a ...

. Kean resides in Westfield, with his wife, Rhonda, and their two daughters.

New Jersey Assembly

Kean was appointed to the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of pres ...

, the lower house of the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and th ...

, in April 2001, to serve out the unexpired term of

Alan Augustine Alan Mandeville Augustine (August 17, 1928 – June 11, 2001) was an American Republican Party politician who served for 30 years as Mayor and councilman of Scotch Plains, New Jersey, Union County freeholder, and member of the New Jersey Gener ...

, who had resigned on March 21, 2001, for health reasons. He was elected to a full term in the Assembly in November 2001. In the Assembly, he chaired the Republican Policy Committee and served as vice chair of the State Government Committee.

New Jersey Senate

Tenure

In March 2003, Kean was appointed to the

New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...

to serve out the unexpired term of

Rich Bagger Richard Hartvig Bagger (born March 27, 1960) is an American Republican Party politician from New Jersey, and former State Senator who later served as chief of staff to Governor Chris Christie.Senator Thomas H. Kean Jr. legislative web page

. Accessed April 17, 2008. In the state legislature, Kean was a proponent of ethics reform in New Jersey government. He was the original sponsor of legislation banning pay to play practices in New Jersey. He sponsored legislation to streamline government, promote education, protect the

environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

, and lower

property tax A property tax or millage rate is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or net wealth, taxes on the change of ownership of property through inher ...

es. Kean was one of 24 elected officials chosen as an Aspen Rodel Fellow in Public Service. In 2002, Kean was named one of 40 state leaders nationwide to be recognized as a Toll Fellow by the Council of State Governments for high achievement and service to state government. In 2005, the New Jersey Conference of Mayors named Kean a Legislative Leader. He also received, for the second year in a row, the Amerigroup Foundation's Champion for Children award for his advocacy on behalf of children's health issues. He was named Legislator of the year by the Fireman's Benevolent Association and received a 100% voting rating from the

National Federation of Independent Business The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is an association of small businesses in the United States. It is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, with offices in Washington, D.C., and all 50 state capitals. The goal of NFIB is to a ...

.Senator Tom Kean, Jr.
New Jersey Senate Republicans. Accessed November 23, 2016. Kean was one of six Republicans in the state senate to vote for a 2019 appropriations bill that passed 31 to 6.

Committees

*Commerce *Higher Education *Legislative Oversight *Legislative Services Commission

2006 U.S Senate Campaign

Kean was the Republican nominee for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and ...

seat vacated by former U.S. senator and former

governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official re ...

Jon Corzine, a seat now filled by Corzine's designated replacement,

Bob Menendez Robert Menendez (; born January 1, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from New Jersey, a seat he has held since 2006. Gale Biography In Context. A member of the Democratic Party, he was fir ...

. Kean won the June 6, 2006, primary against John P. Ginty by a 3–1 margin. He lost the general election to Menendez, 53.3% to 44.3%. The race was the narrowest victory for an incumbent Democrat in the U.S. in an election that saw Democrats retake control of the Senate as part of a nationwide backlash against the Bush administration. Kean was endorsed by ''

The Courier-Post The ''Courier-Post'' is a morning daily newspaper that serves South Jersey in the Delaware Valley. It is based in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and serves most of Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties. The paper has 30,313 daily paid subscriber ...

'', ''

The Press of Atlantic City ''The Press of Atlantic City'' is the fourth-largest daily newspaper in New Jersey. Originally based in Pleasantville, it is the primary newspaper for southeastern New Jersey and the Jersey Shore. The newspaper designated market runs from Ware ...

'', and ''

Asbury Park Press The ''Asbury Park Press'' is a daily newspaper in Monmouth and Ocean counties of New Jersey and has the third largest circulation in the state. It has been owned by Gannett since 1997. Its reporting staff has been awarded numerous national hono ...

''.

U.S House of Representatives

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 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in ...

, 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 Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician, serving as House Minority Leader in the United States House of Representatives since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as House Majority Leader under spea ...

. 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 quickly became a top recruit for

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to run for New Jersey's 7th congressional district. 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. David Wasserman, the U.S. House editor of the nonpartisan '' Cook Political Report'', suggested that Democrats could redraw the 7th district as more Republican in exchange for making the 11th district and 5th district more solidly Democratic. Kean formally announced his campaign on July 14, 2021, joined by U.S. House Minority Leader

. He won the Republican primary in June 2022 and the general election with 51.8% (156,414 votes) to Malinowski's 48.2% (145,253 votes).

Caucus Memberships

Republican Main Street Partnership The Republican Main Street Partnership is a 501(c)(4) organization that was allied with the congressional Republican Main Street Caucus. The Partnership continues to exist, while the Caucus was dissolved by its members in February 2019. His ...

Electoral history

United States House of Representatives

New Jersey Senate

New Jersey Assembly

United States Senate

References

External links

Kean Jr. for Congress
campaign website *
Senator Thomas H. Kean Jr. legislative web page

* ''New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms'' *
201520142013201220112010200920082007200620052004

District 21 Candidates website Kean (Senate), Bramnick & Munoz (Assembly)

'' Mother Jones'' magazine, October 30, 2006. * , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Kean, Thomas Jr. 1968 births 21st-century American politicians Candidates in the 2006 United States elections Candidates in the 2020 United States elections Dartmouth College alumni Thomas Jr. Living people Livingston family Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Republican Party New Jersey state senators People from Livingston, New Jersey People from Westfield, New Jersey Politicians from Union County, New Jersey Pingry School alumni Schuyler family Winthrop family Psi Upsilon