Tom Kean Jr.
U.S. Representative, New Jersey's 7th District ยท R-NJ-7 ยท ๐ All of New Jersey's Republicans
๐จ RINO Alert ๐๏ธ In office
In office since 2023. Faces Democrat Rebecca Bennett on Nov. 3, 2026; the Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Oct. 15 that three forecasters rate the race "leans Democratic."
Voted with Democrats on federal-union bargaining and the 3-year Obamacare subsidy extension
๐ The short version
Kean voted for the Democrats' Protect America's Workforce Act on Dec. 11, 2025, which would reverse President Trump's order ending union bargaining at several federal agencies, and for the three-year extension of the enhanced Obamacare subsidies on Jan. 8, 2026, though he had not signed the discharge petition that forced that vote. He also voted for Trump's 2025 tax-and-spending law and against Democratic resolutions to halt the Iran war, and Trump endorsed him in May 2025.
๐ณ๏ธ How Tom Kean Jr. voted on the key votes
2 of 8 votes cast with the Democrats (weighted: 33.3%). Votes against the MAGA side are listed first.
๐ Other times Tom Kean Jr. broke ranks
Recent party-line votes where most Republicans voted one way, most Democrats the other, and Tom Kean Jr. joined a small group of Republicans on the Democratic side.
- Dec 18, 2025 On Agreeing to the Amendment (HR4776): Voted Nay, one of 8 Republicans ยท Failed Record โ
๐ On the record
- May 8, 2025 President Trump gave Kean his "Complete and Total Endorsement" for a third term. It was Trump's first endorsement of Kean; Trump had not backed him in the 2022 or 2024 Republican primaries. New Jersey Globe โ
- Jul 3, 2025 Kean voted for the final House passage of President Trump's tax-and-spending law, which raised the SALT deduction cap to $40,000 (reverting to $10,000 at the end of 2029), saying he "never backed down from the fight for SALT relief." Democrats attacked the law's Medicaid cuts. New Jersey Globe โ
- Dec 11, 2025 Kean voted Yea on passage of the Protect America's Workforce Act (H.R. 2550), a Democratic-led bill to restore union bargaining rights at federal agencies. Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives โ
- Jan 8, 2026 Kean voted for the three-year extension of the enhanced ACA premium tax credits that passed the House through a Democratic discharge petition. He had not signed that petition and said he had instead co-introduced bipartisan bills. New Jersey Globe โ
- Apr 7, 2026 Kean wrote DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin asking the department to "take a deeper look at the proposal" to turn a Roxbury warehouse into an ICE immigration detention center, citing strain on local services. New Jersey Globe โ
- Sep 27, 2026 In his only debate with Bennett, Kean defended the Trump administration's Iran military action and its tariffs. The AP reported he has voted against resolutions aimed at halting the military action in Iran. Associated Press (via PBS NewsHour) โ
โI remain committed to working with leadership and colleagues on both sides of the aisle, to extend the ACA premium tax credits as soon as possible.โ
โI will make sure that I counter anybody who gets in my way, including this president.โ
โ๏ธ In fairness: their side
Kean says he has long backed extending the enhanced ACA credits: he co-led a bipartisan one-year extension bill in September 2025 and, after voting for the three-year bill in January 2026, said he remained committed to working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle. His campaign site calls him "an independent leader standing up for what is right for New Jersey." He says his vote for Trump's tax law won SALT relief, and on Gateway he says he will "counter anybody who gets in my way, including this president." We found no public statement from Kean explaining his union-bill vote.
More sources
- Incumbent Thomas Kean Jr. (R) and Rebecca Bennett (D) to face off in competitive New Jersey's 7th Congressional District Ballotpedia News
- N.J. Republican Tom Kean Jr. faces a 'blue wave' as former Navy pilot Bennett gains ground The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Kean Co-Leads Bipartisan Effort to Prevent Healthcare Premium Hikes Office of Rep. Tom Kean Jr.