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Sean Kean

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Sean Kean
Image of Sean Kean

Candidate, New Jersey General Assembly District 30

New Jersey General Assembly District 30
Tenure

2012 - Present

Term ends

2026

Years in position

13

Prior offices
New Jersey General Assembly District 11

New Jersey State Senate District 11

Compensation

Base salary

$49,000/year

Per diem

$No per diem is paid

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 7, 2023

Next election

November 4, 2025

Education

Bachelor's

Seton Hall University, 1988

Graduate

Columbia University, 1992

Law

Seton Hall University School of Law, 1995

Personal
Religion
Christian: Catholic
Profession
Attorney
Contact

Sean Kean (Republican Party) is a member of the New Jersey General Assembly, representing District 30. He assumed office in 2012. His current term ends on January 13, 2026.

Kean (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the New Jersey General Assembly to represent District 30. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025. He advanced from the Republican primary on June 10, 2025.

Kean previously served in the New Jersey General Assembly, representing District 11 from 2002 to 2007. He then served in the New Jersey State Senate, representing District 11 from 2008 to 2011.

Biography

Kean graduated with a B.A. in political science from Seton Hall University, a M.A.L.S in American studies from Columbia University, and a J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law.[1] His professional experience includes working as an attorney.[2]

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Kean was assigned to the following committees:

2020-2021

Kean was assigned to the following committees:

2019-2020

Kean was assigned to the following committees:

2016 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2016 legislative session, Kean served on the following committees:

New Jersey committee assignments, 2016
Consumer Affairs
Regulated Professions

2015 legislative session

In the 2015 legislative session, Kean served on the following committees:

2014 legislative session

In the 2014 legislative session, Kean served on the following committees:

2010-2011

In the 2010-2011 legislative session, Kean was appointed to these Senate committees:

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.


Elections

2025

See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2025

General election

General election for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 (2 seats)

Incumbent Avi Schnall, incumbent Sean Kean, Joanne Debenedictis, and Edward Thomson III are running in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 on November 4, 2025.


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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 (2 seats)

Incumbent Avi Schnall and Claire Deicke advanced from the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 on June 10, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
Avi Schnall
 
57.9
 
9,831
Claire Deicke
 
42.1
 
7,158

Total votes: 16,989
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 (2 seats)

Incumbent Sean Kean and Edward Thomson III advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 on June 10, 2025.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sean Kean
Sean Kean
 
55.3
 
13,790
Image of Edward Thomson III
Edward Thomson III
 
44.7
 
11,146

Total votes: 24,936
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

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2023

See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2023

General election

General election for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 (2 seats)

Incumbent Sean Kean and Avi Schnall defeated incumbent Edward Thomson III and Salvatore Frascino in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 on November 7, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sean Kean
Sean Kean (R)
 
39.9
 
37,450
Avi Schnall (D)
 
31.4
 
29,482
Image of Edward Thomson III
Edward Thomson III (R)
 
19.3
 
18,076
Salvatore Frascino (D)
 
9.4
 
8,868

Total votes: 93,876
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 (2 seats)

Marta Harrison and Salvatore Frascino advanced from the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 on June 6, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
Marta Harrison
 
50.5
 
2,553
Salvatore Frascino
 
49.5
 
2,507

Total votes: 5,060
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 (2 seats)

Incumbent Sean Kean and incumbent Edward Thomson III advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 on June 6, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sean Kean
Sean Kean
 
50.7
 
3,920
Image of Edward Thomson III
Edward Thomson III
 
49.3
 
3,814

Total votes: 7,734
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Kean in this election.

2021

See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2021

General election

General election for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 (2 seats)

Incumbent Sean Kean and incumbent Edward Thomson III defeated Stephen Dobbins and Matthew Filosa in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 on November 2, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sean Kean
Sean Kean (R)
 
36.8
 
54,541
Image of Edward Thomson III
Edward Thomson III (R)
 
35.5
 
52,678
Image of Stephen Dobbins
Stephen Dobbins (D) Candidate Connection
 
14.0
 
20,800
Image of Matthew Filosa
Matthew Filosa (D) Candidate Connection
 
13.7
 
20,366

Total votes: 148,385
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 (2 seats)

Matthew Filosa and Stephen Dobbins advanced from the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 on June 8, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Matthew Filosa
Matthew Filosa Candidate Connection
 
50.2
 
4,074
Image of Stephen Dobbins
Stephen Dobbins Candidate Connection
 
49.8
 
4,043

Total votes: 8,117
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 (2 seats)

Incumbent Sean Kean and incumbent Edward Thomson III defeated Alter Eliezer Richter in the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 on June 8, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sean Kean
Sean Kean
 
46.6
 
9,555
Image of Edward Thomson III
Edward Thomson III
 
45.2
 
9,270
Alter Eliezer Richter
 
8.1
 
1,667

Total votes: 20,492
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2019

See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2019

General election

General election for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 (2 seats)

Incumbent Sean Kean and incumbent Edward Thomson III defeated Steven Farkas, Jason Celik, and Hank Schroeder in the general election for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 on November 5, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sean Kean
Sean Kean (R)
 
36.3
 
25,426
Image of Edward Thomson III
Edward Thomson III (R)
 
33.8
 
23,662
Image of Steven Farkas
Steven Farkas (D) Candidate Connection
 
14.4
 
10,063
Jason Celik (D)
 
13.8
 
9,666
Image of Hank Schroeder
Hank Schroeder (The Other Candidate Party)
 
1.7
 
1,213

Total votes: 70,030
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 (2 seats)

Steven Farkas and Jason Celik advanced from the Democratic primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 on June 4, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Steven Farkas
Steven Farkas Candidate Connection
 
52.2
 
2,649
Jason Celik
 
47.8
 
2,429

Total votes: 5,078
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 (2 seats)

Incumbent Sean Kean and incumbent Edward Thomson III advanced from the Republican primary for New Jersey General Assembly District 30 on June 4, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sean Kean
Sean Kean
 
51.5
 
4,078
Image of Edward Thomson III
Edward Thomson III
 
48.5
 
3,834

Total votes: 7,912
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2017

See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2017

General election

Elections for the New Jersey General Assembly took place in 2017. All 80 seats were up for election. State assembly members are elected to two-year terms. The general election took place on November 7, 2017. A primary election took place on June 6, 2017. The filing deadline for the primary election was April 3, 2017.[3] Legislative districts in the New Jersey General Assembly are multi-member districts, with two representatives in each district. In Democratic and Republican primary elections, the top two candidates move forward to the general election, and the top two candidates in the general election are declared the winners.[4] Incumbent David Rible (R) resigned his seat on July 17, 2017.[5] Incumbent Sean Kean (R) and incumbent Edward Thomson III (R) defeated Kevin Scott (D) and Eliot Colon (D) in the New Jersey General Assembly District 30 general election.[6][7]

New Jersey General Assembly, District 30 General Election, 2017
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Sean Kean Incumbent 33.26% 33,672
     Republican Green check mark transparent.png Edward Thomson Incumbent 30.30% 30,680
     Democratic Kevin Scott 18.51% 18,737
     Democratic Eliot Colon 17.94% 18,160
Total Votes 101,249
Source: New Jersey Department of State

Democratic primary election

Kevin Scott and Eliot Colon were unopposed in the New Jersey General Assembly District 30 Democratic primary election.[8][9]

New Jersey General Assembly, District 30 Democratic Primary, 2017
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Kevin Scott 50.70% 4,957
Green check mark transparent.png Eliot Colon 49.30% 4,820
Total Votes 9,777
Source: New Jersey Department of State

Republican primary election

Incumbent Sean Kean and incumbent David Rible were unopposed in the New Jersey General Assembly District 30 Republican primary election.[10][9]

New Jersey General Assembly, District 30 Republican Primary, 2017
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Sean Kean Incumbent 50.97% 9,269
Green check mark transparent.png David Rible Incumbent 49.03% 8,916
Total Votes 18,185
Source: New Jersey Department of State

2015

See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2015

Elections for the New Jersey General Assembly took place in 2015. A primary election was held on June 2, 2015. The general election took place on November 3, 2015. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 30, 2015.[11] Since the general assembly uses multi-member districts, the top two candidates from each party in the primaries advanced to the general election. James Keady and Jimmy Esposito were bracketed together and were unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Sean Kean and incumbent David Rible were bracketed together and were unopposed in the Republican primary. Esposito did not appear on the official candidate list for the general election; he was replaced by Lorna Phillipson.[12][13] Kean and Rible defeated Keady, Phillipson and Hank Schroeder (Economic Growth) in the general election.[14][15][16]

New Jersey General Assembly, District 30 General Election, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngSean Kean Incumbent 34.5% 19,826
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Rible Incumbent 33.9% 19,459
     Democratic James Keady 15.9% 9,148
     Democratic Lorna Phillipson 13.7% 7,867
     Economic Growth Hank Schroeder 1.9% 1,101
Total Votes 57,401

2013

See also: New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2013

Kean won re-election in the 2013 election for New Jersey General Assembly District 30. Kean was bracketed with David Rible. He was unopposed in the June 4 Republican primary. He and incumbent David Rible (R) defeated Lorelei Rouvrais (D) and Jimmy Esposito (D) in the general election, which took place on November 5, 2013.[17][18][19]

New Jersey General Assembly, District 30 General Election, 2013
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngSean Kean Incumbent 38.2% 39,702
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Rible Incumbent 35.9% 37,252
     Democratic Jimmy Esposito 13.4% 13,898
     Democratic Lorelei Rouvrais 12.5% 12,967
Total Votes 103,819

2011

See also: New Jersey State Senate elections, 2011, New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2011

During the 2011 redistricting process, Kean was moved into Senate District 30, the same district as Robert Singer (R). Kean decided to run for the New Jersey General Assembly rather than face Singer in a primary.[20]

Kean did not run for re-election to the Senate. He instead won election to District 30 of the General Assembly.[20] Kean and David Rible ran unopposed in the Republican primary on June 7. They then defeated Howard Kleinhendler (D), Shaun O'Rourke (D), and David Schneck (L) in the November 8 general election.[21]

New Jersey General Assembly District 30 General Election, 2011
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngSean Kean 34.4% 22,889
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Rible Incumbent 31.2% 20,728
     Democratic Shaun O'Rourke 16.9% 11,256
     Democratic Howard Kleinhendler 16% 10,639
     Libertarian David Schneck 1.5% 986
Total Votes 66,498

2007

See also: New Jersey State Senate elections, 2007

In 2007, Kean was elected to the New Jersey State Senate District 10. Kean (R) finished with 28,403 votes while his opponent John Villapiano (D) finished with 16,465 votes.[22] Kean raised $691,826 for his campaign fund.[23]

New Jersey State Senate District 10
Candidates Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Sean Kean (R) 28,403
John Villapiano (D) 16,465

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

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Candidate Connection

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2023

Sean Kean did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.

2021

Sean Kean did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.

2019

Sean Kean did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Sean Kean campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2023New Jersey General Assembly District 30Won general$221,391 $0
2021New Jersey General Assembly District 30Won general$135,555 $0
2013New Jersey General Assembly, District 30Won $177,531 N/A**
2011New Jersey General Assembly, District 30Won $354,494 N/A**
2007New Jersey State Senate, District 11Won $690,826 N/A**
2005New Jersey General Assembly, District 11Won $582,493 N/A**
2003New Jersey General Assembly, District 11Won $156,075 N/A**
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in New Jersey

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of New Jersey scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.


2024


2023


2022


2021


2020


2019


2018


2017


2016


2015


2014


2013


2012

Endorsements

Presidential preference

2012

See also: Endorsements by state officials of presidential candidates in the 2012 election

Sean Kean endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.[24]

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Kean was born on May 21, 1963, in Montclair, New Jersey.

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. New Jersey General Assembly, "Hon. Sean Kean," accessed May 10, 2013
  2. Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed April 10, 2014
  3. New Jersey Secretary of State, "2017 Primary Election Timeline," accessed March 21, 2017
  4. New Jersey Division of Elections, "Official List, Candidates for General Assembly for Primary Election, June 6, 2017," accessed April 13, 2017
  5. Daily Record, "Bucco elevated to Assembly conference leader," July 19, 2017
  6. New Jersey Department of State, "Candidates for General Assembly for General Election 11/07/2017 Election," accessed September 14, 2017
  7. New Jersey Department of State, "2017 official general election results," accessed November 30, 2017
  8. New Jersey Division of Elections, "Official Candidate List," April 6, 2017
  9. 9.0 9.1 New Jersey Division of Elections, “2017 official primary election results for general assembly,” accessed July 13, 2017
  10. New Jersey Division of Elections, "Official Candidate List," April 6, 2017
  11. New Jersey Department of Elections, "2015 Primary Election Timeline," accessed February 2, 2015
  12. New Jersey Department of State, "Official candidates for General Assembly," accessed August 10, 2015
  13. New Jersey Department of State, "Amended Certification," August 21, 2015
  14. New Jersey Department of State, "Official candidate list for June 2 primary," accessed May 22, 2015
  15. New Jersey Department of State, "Official primary election results for General Assembly," accessed August 10, 2015
  16. New Jersey Department of State, "Official general election results for General Assembly," accessed December 7, 2015
  17. New Jersey Department of Elections, "Official Primary Election Results," accessed July 26, 2013
  18. New Jersey Department of State, "Unofficial general election candidates," accessed August 6, 2013 (dead link)
  19. New Jersey Department of State, "2013 Official General Election results," accessed December 9, 2013
  20. 20.0 20.1 All Voices, "The map is done in New Jersey," April 8, 2011
  21. New Jersey Department of State, "2011 Official General Assembly Primary Candidate List," accessed April 10, 2014
  22. Follow the Money, "New Jersey State Senate 2007 general election results," accessed April 10, 2014
  23. Campaign funds
  24. Mitt Romney for President, "Mitt Romney Announces Support of New Jersey Leaders," April 11, 2014(Archived)


Current members of the New Jersey General Assembly
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Aura Dunn (R)
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Sean Kean (R)
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