Thomas Kean Jr.

Thomas Kean Jr.

Republican Party

Candidate, U.S. House New Jersey District 7

U.S. House New Jersey District 7

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

2

Predecessor

Tom Malinowski

Prior offices

New Jersey General Assembly

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New Jersey State Senate District 21

Successor: Jon Bramnick

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Compensation

Base salary

$174,000

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Next election

November 3, 2026

Education

Graduate

Tufts University, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy

Contact

Official website

Official Facebook

Official Twitter

Official Instagram

Official YouTube

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Personal Facebook

Thomas Kean Jr. (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing New Jersey's 7th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2023. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Kean (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent New Jersey's 7th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.^[source]

Biography

Thomas Kean Jr. lives in Westfield, New Jersey. Kean earned a master’s degree from the Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. His career experience includes working with the Environmental Protection Agency during the George H.W. Bush administration and as an advisor to former U.S. Representative Bob Franks, a firefighter, and an emergency medical technician. Kean has served as the vice president of a fire department.

Committee assignments

2023-2024

Kean was assigned to the following committees:^[Source]

• Committee on Foreign Affairs
• Subcommittee on Africa
• Europe, Chairman
• Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
• Energy
• Research and Technology
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
• Aviation
• Highways and Transit
• Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials

Key votes

See also: Key votes

Ballotpedia monitors legislation that receives a vote and highlights the ones that we consider to be key to understanding where elected officials stand on the issues. To read more about how we identify key votes, click here.

Key votes: 118th Congress, 2023-2025

The 118th United States Congress began on January 3, 2023, and ended on January 3, 2025. At the start of the session, Republicans held the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives (222-212), and Democrats held the majority in the U.S. Senate (51-49). Joe Biden (D) was the president and Kamala Harris (D) was the vice president. We identified the key votes below using Congress' top-viewed bills list and through marquee coverage of certain votes on Ballotpedia.

Key votes: 118th Congress, 2023-2025
Vote	Bill and description	Status
Yea	National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024   The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (H.R. 2670) was a bill passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 22, 2023, authorizing Department of Defense activities and programs for fiscal year 2024. The bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House to pass the bill as amended by a Senate and House conference report.	Passed (310-118)
Yea	To terminate the requirement imposed by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for proof of COVID-19 vaccination for foreign travelers, and for other purposes.   H.R. 185 (To terminate the requirement imposed by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for proof of COVID-19 vaccination for foreign travelers, and for other purposes.) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to nullify a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) order restricting the entry of foreign citizens to the United States unless the individual was vaccinated against the coronavirus or attested they would take public health measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (227-201)
Yea	Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023   The Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 (H.R. 2811) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to raise the federal debt limit before a June 5, 2023, deadline. The bill also sought to repeal certain green energy tax credits, increase domestic natural gas and oil production, expand work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program, and nullify President Joe Biden's (D) proposed student loan debt cancellation program. This bill was not taken up in the Senate, and the debt limit was instead raised through the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (217-215)
Yea	Denouncing the horrors of socialism.   H.Con.Res. 9 (Denouncing the horrors of socialism.) was a resolution approved by the House of Representatives denouncing socialism and opposing the implementation of socialist policies in the United States. The resolution required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (328-86)
Yea	Lower Energy Costs Act   The Lower Energy Costs Act (H.R. 1) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to increase domestic energy production and exports by increasing the production of oil, natural gas, and coal, reducing permitting restrictions for pipelines, refineries, and other energy projects, and increase the production of minerals used in electronics, among other energy production-related policies. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (225-204)
Yea	Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to "Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights".   H.J.Res. 30 (Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to "Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights".) was a joint resolution of disapproval under the terms of the Congressional Review Act (CRA) passed by the 118th Congress and vetoed by President Joe Biden (D) on March 20, 2023. This was Biden's first veto of his presidency. The resolution sought to nullify a Department of Labor rule that amended the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to allow retirement plans to consider certain environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) factors in investment-related decisions. The resolution required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (219-200)
Yea	Relating to a national emergency declared by the President on March 13, 2020.   H.J.Res. 7 (Relating to a national emergency declared by the President on March 13, 2020.) was a joint resolution of disapproval under the terms of the Congressional Review Act (CRA) passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on April 10, 2023. The resolution ended the national coronavirus state of emergency, which began on March 13, 2020. The resolution required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (229-197)
Yea	Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023   The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (H.R. 3746) was a bill passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on June 3, 2023. The bill raised the federal debt limit until January 2025. The bill also capped non-defense spending in fiscal year 2024, rescinded unspent coronavirus relief funding, rescinded some Internal Revenue Service (IRS) funding, enhanced work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program (TANF), simplified environmental reviews for energy projects, and ended the student loan debt repayment pause in August 2023. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (314-117)
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)	Speaker of the House election (January 2023) - 15th vote   In January 2023, the House of Representatives held its regular election for Speaker of the House at the start of the 118th Congress. Voting began on January 3, and ended on January 7. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was elected speaker of the House in a 216-212 vote during the 15th round of voting. In order to elect a Speaker of the House, a majority of votes cast for a person by name was required. Click here to read more.	Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) (216-212)
Nay	Declaring the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives to be vacant.   H.Res. 757 (Declaring the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives to be vacant.) was a resolution passed by the House of Representatives that removed Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from his position as Speaker of the House. The resolution required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (216-210)
Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.)	Speaker of the House election (October 2023) - 4th vote   In October 2023, following Rep. Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) removal as Speaker of the House, the House of Representatives held another election for the position. Voting began on October 17 and ended on October 25. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) was elected Speaker of the House in a 220-209 vote in the fourth round of voting. In order to elect a Speaker of the House, a majority of votes cast for a person by name was required. Click here to read more.	Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) (220-209)
Yea	Directing certain committees to continue their ongoing investigations as part of the existing House of Representatives inquiry into whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to exercise its Constitutional power to impeach Joseph Biden, President of the United States of America, and for other purposes.   H.Res. 918 (Directing certain committees to continue their ongoing investigations as part of the existing House of Representatives inquiry into whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to exercise its Constitutional power to impeach Joseph Biden, President of the United States of America, and for other purposes.) was a resolution passed by the House of Representatives that formally authorized an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden (D). The inquiry focused on allegations that Biden used his influence as vice president from 2009 to 2017 to improperly profit from his son Hunter Biden's business dealings. The resolution required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (221-212)
Yea	Providing for the expulsion of Representative George Santos from the United States House of Representatives.   H.Res. 878 (Providing for the expulsion of Representative George Santos from the United States House of Representatives.) was a resolution passed by the House of Representatives that removed Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) from office following a House Ethics Committee investigation that determined there was substantial evidence that Santos violated the law during his 2020 and 2022 campaigns. The resolution required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (311-114)
Yea	The Social Security Fairness Act of 2023   The Social Security Fairness Act of 2023 (H.R. 82) was a bill passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on January 5, 2025, that reduced Social Security benefits for individuals who received other pensions from state or local governments. It also eliminated an offset that would reduce benefits for spouses and widows of individuals with government pensions. It also eliminated a provision that reduced benefits for an individual who received a pension or disability benefit from an employer that did not withhold Social Security taxes. This bill required a 2/3rds majority vote to pass.	Passed (327-75)
Yea	Secure the Border Act of 2023   The Secure the Border Act of 2023 (H.R. 2) was passed by the U.S. House on May 11, 2024. This bill would have introduced limits to asylum eligibility and required employers to use electronic verification of employee's legal eligibility to work. This bill required a simple majority vote.	Passed (219-213)
Yea	Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024   The Consolidated Appropriations Act 2024 (H.R. 4366) was a bill passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on March 9, 2024, authorizing appropriations for various government departments for the fiscal year 2024. The bill required a majority vote to pass.	Passed (219-211)
Nay	Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024   The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 (H.R. 7024) was a bill passed by the U.S. House on January 31, 2024, that would have modified the U.S. tax code, increasing how much money can be given back in credits and what is exempt. This bill required a 2/3rds majority vote to pass.	Passed (357-70)
Yea	Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025   The Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (H.R. 8070) was passed by the U.S. House on June 14, 2024. The bill would have modified defense spending in the fiscal year 2025. The bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House to pass the bill as amended by a Senate and House conference report.	Passed (217-199)
Yea	Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023   The Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023 (H.R. 6090) was passed by the U.S. House on May 1, 2024. This bill made it so the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights could have the authority to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism when investigating cases of discrimination. This bill required a simple majority vote to pass.	Passed (320-91)
Yea	FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024   The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 (H.R.3935) was a bill passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on May 16, 2024, that reauthorized Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding until fiscal year 2028. The bill also made other modifications to address various department-related issues. The bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House to pass the bill as amended by a Senate and House conference report.	Passed (387-26)
Yea	Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act   The Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act (H.R. 9495) was passed by the U.S. House on November 21, 2024. The bill would have postponed U.S. tax deadlines for citizens who were wrongfully detained abroad. This bill required a simple majority to pass.	Passed (219-184)
Yea	Impeaching Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, for high crimes and misdemeanors.   H.Res.863, Impeaching Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, for high crimes and misdemeanors, passed the U.S. House on February 13, 2024. The resolution impeached U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas (D) for high crimes and misdemeanors. The motion to impeach required a majority in the House and a 2/3rds vote in the Senate.	Passed (214-213)
Yea	Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025   H.R.9747, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, was passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on September 26, 2024, providing funding to federal agencies, including the Secret Service, and federal programs for the 2025 fiscal year. The bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House to pass the bill as amended by a Senate and House conference report.	Passed (341-82)

Elections

2026

See also: New Jersey's 7th Congressional District election, 2026

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for U.S. House New Jersey District 7

The following candidates are running in the general election for U.S. House New Jersey District 7 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Thomas Kean Jr. (R)
	Submit photo	Beth Ellen Adubato (D)
		Rebecca Bennett (D)
	Submit photo	Michael Garth (D)
	Submit photo	Valentina Mendoza (D)
	Submit photo	Megan O'Rourke (D)
		Michael Roth (D)
	Submit photo	Felipe Santos (D)
	Submit photo	Tina Shah (D)
		Brian Varela (D)
	Submit photo	Gregory Vartan (D)

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Endorsements

Kean received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.

• President Donald Trump (R)

2024

See also: New Jersey's 7th Congressional District election, 2024

New Jersey's 7th Congressional District election, 2024 (June 4 Democratic primary)

New Jersey's 7th Congressional District election, 2024 (June 4 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House New Jersey District 7

Incumbent Thomas Kean Jr. defeated Susan Altman, Andrew Black, and Lana Leguia in the general election for U.S. House New Jersey District 7 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Thomas Kean Jr. (R)	51.8	223,331
		Susan Altman (D)	46.4	200,025
		Andrew Black (G)	1.0	4,258
		Lana Leguia (L)	0.9	3,784

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 431,398
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 7

Susan Altman advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 7 on June 4, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Susan Altman	100.0	38,030

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 38,030
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jason Blazakis (D)
• Joseph Signorello (D)
• Gregory Vartan (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 7

Incumbent Thomas Kean Jr. defeated Roger Bacon in the Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 7 on June 4, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Thomas Kean Jr.	78.2	37,623
		Roger Bacon	21.8	10,460

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 48,083
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

Polls are conducted with a variety of methodologies and have margins of error or credibility intervals. The Pew Research Center wrote, "A margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level means that if we fielded the same survey 100 times, we would expect the result to be within 3 percentage points of the true population value 95 of those times." For tips on reading polls from FiveThirtyEight, click here. For tips from Pew, click here.

The links below show polls for this race aggregated by FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, where available. Click here to read about FiveThirtyEight's criteria for including polls in its aggregation.

• FiveThirtyEight

Election campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Thomas Kean Jr.	Republican Party	$6,023,133	$6,068,925	$48,287	As of December 31, 2024
Susan Altman	Democratic Party	$6,252,517	$6,241,501	$11,016	As of December 31, 2024
Roger Bacon	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Andrew Black	Green Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Lana Leguia	Libertarian Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). * According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." ** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election. *** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

Satellite spending

See also: Satellite spending

Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.

If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.

By candidate	By election
Thomas Kean Susan Altman Andrew Black Lana Leguia	OpenSecrets Federal Election Commission

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

• Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
• Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
• Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.
• Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.

Race ratings: New Jersey's 7th Congressional District election, 2024
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 5, 2024	October 29, 2024	October 22, 2024	October 15, 2024
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Lean Republican
Decision Desk HQ and The Hill	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Lean Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Tilt Republican	Tilt Republican	Tilt Republican	Tilt Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Lean Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Kean in this election.

Pledges

Kean signed the following pledges.

• Taxpayer Protection Pledge, Americans for Tax Reform

2022

See also: New Jersey's 7th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House New Jersey District 7

Thomas Kean Jr. defeated incumbent Tom Malinowski in the general election for U.S. House New Jersey District 7 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Thomas Kean Jr. (R)	51.4	159,392
		Tom Malinowski (D)	48.6	150,701

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 310,093
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Clayton Pajunas (L)
• Veronica Fernandez (Of, By, For!)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 7

Incumbent Tom Malinowski defeated Roger Bacon in the Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 7 on June 7, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tom Malinowski	94.5	37,304
		Roger Bacon	5.5	2,185

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 39,489
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Brandon Wienberg (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 7

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 7 on June 7, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Thomas Kean Jr.	45.6	25,111
		Philip Rizzo	23.6	12,988
		Erik Peterson	15.4	8,493
		John P. Flora	5.5	3,051
		John Isemann	5.0	2,732
		Kevin Dorlon	4.1	2,237
	Submit photo	Sterling Schwab	0.8	429

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 55,041
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2021

See also: New Jersey State Senate elections, 2021

Thomas Kean, Jr. announced that he would not be running for re-election.

2020

See also: New Jersey's 7th Congressional District election, 2020

New Jersey's 7th Congressional District election, 2020 (July 7 Democratic primary)

New Jersey's 7th Congressional District election, 2020 (July 7 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House New Jersey District 7

Incumbent Tom Malinowski defeated Thomas Kean Jr. in the general election for U.S. House New Jersey District 7 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tom Malinowski (D)	50.6	219,629
		Thomas Kean Jr. (R)	49.4	214,318

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 433,947
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 7

Incumbent Tom Malinowski advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 7 on July 7, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tom Malinowski	100.0	80,334

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 80,334
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 7

Thomas Kean Jr. defeated Raafat Barsoom and Tom Phillips in the Republican primary for U.S. House New Jersey District 7 on July 7, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Thomas Kean Jr.	79.4	45,395
		Raafat Barsoom	10.8	6,151
		Tom Phillips	9.8	5,631

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 57,177
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Rosemary Becchi (R)
• Robert Trugman (R)
• James Barrett (R)

2017

See also: New Jersey State Senate elections, 2017

General election

Elections for the New Jersey State Senate took place in 2017. All 40 seats were up for election. 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. Incumbent Thomas Kean (R) defeated Jill Lazare (D) in the New Jersey State Senate District 21 general election.

New Jersey State Senate, District 21 General Election, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Thomas Kean Incumbent	54.70%	37,579
	Democratic	Jill Lazare	45.30%	31,123
Total Votes				68,702
Source: New Jersey Department of State

Democratic primary election

Jill Lazare ran unopposed in the New Jersey State Senate District 21 Democratic primary election.

Ballotpedia will publish vote totals here after they become available.

New Jersey State Senate, District 21 Democratic Primary, 2017
Candidate
Jill Lazare
Source: New Jersey Department of State

Republican primary election

Incumbent Thomas Kean ran unopposed in the New Jersey State Senate District 21 Republican primary election.

Ballotpedia will publish vote totals here after they become available.

New Jersey State Senate, District 21 Republican Primary, 2017
Candidate
Thomas Kean Incumbent
Source: New Jersey Department of State

2013

See also: New Jersey State Senate elections, 2013

Kean won re-election in the 2013 election for New Jersey State Senate District 21. Kean was unopposed in the June 4 Republican primary and defeated Michael Komondy (D) in the general election, which took place on November 5, 2013.

New Jersey State Senate, District 21 General Election, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Thomas Kean Incumbent	69.6%	42,423
	Democratic	Michael Komondy	30.4%	18,517
Total Votes				60,940

2011

See also: New Jersey State Senate elections, 2011

Kean won re-election to the District 21 State Senate seat in 2011. He ran unopposed in the June 7 Republican primary election. Kean defeated Paul Swanicke in the general election, which took place on November 8, 2011.

New Jersey State Senate District 21 General Election, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Thomas Kean Incumbent	67.5%	27,750
	Democratic	Paul Swanicke	32.5%	13,351
Total Votes				41,101

2007

See also: New Jersey State Senate elections, 2007

In 2007, Kean was re-elected to the New Jersey State Senate District 21. Kean (R) finished with 29,795 votes and was followed by Gina Genovese (D) with 20,092 votes. Kean raised $686,441 for his campaign fund.

New Jersey Senate 2007 General Election, District 21 (2007)
Candidates		Votes
Thomas Kean (R)		29,795
Gina Genovese (D)		20,092

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

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2024

Thomas Kean Jr. did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Thomas Kean Jr. did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Thomas Kean Jr. did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Kean’s campaign website stated the following:

“	Let’s Fix Our Broken Healthcare System Tom Kean understands the importance of quality healthcare. He has been a leader on this issue in the New Jersey Senate, serving on both the Health and the Commerce committees. While there, he worked with Republicans and Democrats alike to find solutions to lower the cost of prescription drugs, improve maternal healthcare and increase access to mental healthcare. As your Congressman, he will continue to be a leader in fixing our broken healthcare system. Count on Tom to Fight for Affordability Tom Kean has a long record of standing up to big tax hikes and fighting for affordability in New Jersey. He has blocked billions of dollars in new taxes and wasteful spending. He was a leading driver of the 2% cap on municipal spending that helped stabilize property taxes. As your Congressman, Tom will always prioritize fiscal responsibility. Tom Kean is a Job Creator Tom has been recognized as “Legislator of the Year” by numerous business groups for his work in helping make New Jersey a beacon for innovation jobs, technological ingenuity and development opportunities. In addition, his legislation on brew pubs transformed an industry and created thousands of new jobs. Tom knows this district, the industries that drive North Jersey and will always stand up for his constituents’ jobs in Congress. Protecting the Environment is a Priority Protecting the environment has always been a passion for Tom Kean. He began his career in public service working at the Environmental Protection Agency, where he met his wife Rhonda. He has built a reputation as an advocate for clean energy and open space in the New Jersey state legislature. He has sponsored funding for offshore wind energy development and passed laws that ensure open space and conservation are well-funded. As a prime sponsor of the Global Warming Response Act in 2007, he has long understood the urgent nature of climate change. As your Congressman, Tom will be an ardent defender of the environment. A Commitment to Improving Infrastructure We must elect a Representative with the ability to finish the job on the Gateway Tunnel project. On the state level, Tom Kean worked with Governors and legislators, alike, to reform the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and help lay the foundation for this project on a bi-state basis. He has both the knowledge and legislative skill to see it through as your Congress.	”
—Thomas Kean Jr.’s campaign website (2020)

Campaign finance summary

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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.

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Thomas Kean Jr. campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2026*	U.S. House New Jersey District 7	Candidacy Declared general	$1,902,209	$441,476
2024*	U.S. House New Jersey District 7	Won general	$6,023,133	$6,068,925
2022	U.S. House New Jersey District 7	Won general	$4,476,738	$4,476,338
2020	U.S. House New Jersey District 7	Lost general	$3,934,330	$3,840,651
2013	New Jersey State Senate, District 21	Won	$803,790	N/A**
2011	New Jersey State Senate, District 21	Won	$1,589,533	N/A**
2007	New Jersey State Senate, District 21	Won	$1,183,287	N/A**
2003	New Jersey State Senate, District 21	Won	$587,092	N/A**
2001	New Jersey General Assembly, District 21	Won	$103,443	N/A**
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Notable endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.

Notable candidate endorsements by Thomas Kean Jr.

Endorsee	Election	Stage	Outcome
Donald Trump  source  (Conservative Party, R)	President of the United States (2024)	Primary	Won General
Mitt Romney  source  (R)	President of the United States (2012)	Primary	Lost General

Notable ballot measure endorsements by Thomas Kean Jr.

Measure	Position	Outcome
New Jersey Public Question 2, Raffle Money for Organizations Amendment (2021)  source	Support	Approved

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Kean and his wife, Rhonda, have two children. They currently reside in Westfield, New Jersey.

State legislative tenure

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.

2022

In 2022, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 11 to December 31.

2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].

In 2021, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 4 to January 11. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. New Jersey Clean Water Action Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues. New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2020

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show].
In 2020, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 14 to December 17. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. New Jersey Clean Water Action Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2019

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show].

In 2019, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 9, 2018, through January 14, 2020. Americans for Prosperity Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. New Jersey Clean Water Action Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues. New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. Vietnam Veterans of America New Jersey State Council Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization.

2018

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show].

In 2018, the New Jersey State Legislature was in session from January 9 through January 8, 2019. Americans for Prosperity Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. New Jersey Clean Water Action Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues. Vietnam Veterans of America New Jersey State Council Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2017

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show].

In 2017, the 217th New Jersey State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 10 through January 9, 2018. American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to civil liberties. New Jersey Clean Water Action Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues. New Jersey League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues. Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues. Vietnam Veterans of America New Jersey State Council Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the organization. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2016

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show].
In 2016, the 217th New Jersey State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 12 through January 10, 2017. Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey Legislators are scored on bills related to reproductive health issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2015

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show].

In 2015, the 216th New Jersey State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 13 through December 31. ACLU-NJ: 2014-2015 Scorecard Legislators are scored based on their voting record for bills relating to civil liberties. Clean Water Action: Legislative Scorecard 2014-2015 Legislators are scored on environment and conservation issues. New Jersey League of Conservation Voters: 2015 Legislative Environmental Scorecard Legislators are scored on their votes concerning environmental issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2014

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show].

In 2014, the 216th New Jersey State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 14 through January 12, 2015. ACLU-NJ: 2014-2015 Scorecard Legislators are scored based on their voting record for bills relating to civil liberties. Americans for Prosperity: 2014 Midterm Legislator Ratings Legislators are scored on how they voted on tax and fiscal legislation. Clean Water Action: Legislative Scorecard 2014-2015 Legislators are scored on environment and conservation issues. The American Conservative Union: 2014 Legislative scorecard Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2013

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show].

In 2013, the 215th New Jersey State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 10 to January 13, 2014. Americans for Prosperity: Taxpayer Scorecard, 215th Legislative Session Legislators are scored on how they voted on tax and fiscal legislation. Clean Water Action: Legislative Scorecard 2010-2013 Legislators are scored on environment and conservation issues. New Jersey League of Conservation Voters: 2013 Legislative Environmental Scorecard Legislators are scored on their votes concerning environmental issues. New Jersey Taxpayers Alliance: 2013 Taxpayer Legislative Scorecards Legislators are scored on their votes concerning New Jersey’s individual and corporate taxpayer communities. Assembly scorecard Senate scorecard The American Conservative Union: 2013 Legislative scorecard Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2012

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show].

In 2012, the 215th New Jersey State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 10 to January 9, 2013. Americans for Prosperity: Taxpayer Scorecard, 215th Legislative Session Legislators are scored on how they voted on tax and fiscal legislation. Clean Water Action: Legislative Scorecard 2010-2013 Legislators are scored on environment and conservation issues. The American Conservative Union: 2012 Legislative scorecard Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

Sponsored legislation

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.

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.

2020-2021

Kean was assigned to the following committees:

• Senate Higher Education Committee
• Legislative Oversight Committee

2019-2020

Kean was assigned to the following committees:

• Senate Higher Education Committee
• Commerce Committee
• Legislative Oversight Committee

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Kean served on the following committees:

New Jersey committee assignments, 2015
• Commerce
• Higher Education
• Legislative Oversight

2014 legislative session

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

New Jersey committee assignments, 2014
• Commerce
• Higher Education
• Legislative Oversight

2010-2011

In the 2010-2011 legislative session, Kean served on the following committees:

New Jersey committee assignments, 2010
• Education
• Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens

See also

2026 Elections

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External links

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Candidate

U.S. House New Jersey District 7

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Officeholder

U.S. House New Jersey District 7

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Tom Malinowski (D)	U.S. House New Jersey District 7 2023-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	New Jersey State Senate District 21 2003-2022	Succeeded by Jon Bramnick (R)
Preceded by -	New Jersey General Assembly 2001-2003	Succeeded by -

[show]

New Jersey's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Cory Booker (D)

Andrew Kim (D)

Representatives

District 1

Donald Norcross (D)

District 2

Jeff Van Drew (R)

District 3

Herbert Conaway (D)

District 4

Chris Smith (R)

District 5

Josh Gottheimer (D)

District 6

Frank Pallone (D)

District 7

Thomas Kean (R)

District 8

Robert Menendez (D)

District 9

Nellie Pou (D)

District 10

LaMonica McIver (D)

District 11

Mikie Sherrill (D)

District 12

Bonnie Coleman (D)

Democratic Party (11)

Republican Party (3)