Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ), who disappeared on his colleagues and constituents for months, has returned to restart his re-election bid only to find that Donald Trump’s administration has made the road a lot rockier than it was before.
Kean was mysteriously missing with no public explanation until he finally admitted that he was being treated for depression, and now he needs to deal with a decision by the Department of Homeland Security to renew a bid to resurrect a controversial detention facility proposal that had already united Republicans and Democrats in the North Jersey district in "unified opposition," Politico is reporting.
The move forces Kean into an impossible political position: either support an administration proposal that alienates his constituents across the political spectrum, or break publicly with Trump at a moment when GOP primary voters have grown increasingly hostile to party dissenters.
According to the report, as of Monday afternoon, Kean had refused to take a clear position. In a carefully worded statement, he claimed to be "actively engaged on this issue from the beginning" and vowed to "bring together multiple levels of government to find a responsible, workable solution" — essentially evading the question entirely.
Democrat Rebecca Bennett, Kean's well-funded challenger, now has a fresh line of attack to exploit with insiders claiming the detention facility controversy could prove decisive in a district where both conservative and progressive voters share deep concerns about the project.
"There are going to be conservative voters who are concerned about this development going in their backyard, which they very much don't want, and it will affect their votes in November," Republican consultant Carlos Cruz told Politico.
According to Bennett spokesperson Carly Jones, "Even the Republican-led Roxbury Township Council has called out Congressman Kean Jr. for refusing to advocate on behalf of their community,” adding, "His job title is representative, but he consistently fails to show up and fight for the people of New Jersey. Rebecca Bennett will do what Kean Jr. won’t: put New Jersey first.”