Rep. Tom Kean says he talks to NJ media more than anyone. Critics disagree
☑️Rep. Tom Kean says he is 'feeling stronger than ever' after returning to Congress
☑️Police were called after a reporter waited outside his campaign event
☑️The Republican says he does 'the most local press engagements of any NJ member of Congress'
WASHINGTON (Warren) — In his first media interview since returning to Congress after receiving treatment for depression, Rep. Tom Kean, R-N.J., 7th District, says he is “feeling great.”
Speaking at a campaign event at the Hawk Pointe Golf Club in Warren County Friday morning with House Speaker Mike Johnson, Kean told WFMZ-TV he is “feeling stronger than ever.”
But the event quickly became part of a larger controversy over Kean's accessibility to the media.
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Reporter says police were called while she waited outside
Things turned ugly after a New York Times reporter who was not invited into the event said Washington Township police were called on her while she waited in her car in the parking lot, hoping to ask Kean a question on his way out. The Times reported that a Fox News reporter was also seen inside the club.
The New York Times reporter said in a story posted on the newspaper's website Friday that she was not charged and was able to remain in the parking lot.
Saturday morning, on his campaign X account, Kean said he does “the most local press engagements of any NJ member of Congress” while attacking opponent Rebecca Bennett for staying “hidden from voters behind a campaign script.”
According to Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, some members of the media who cover Kean would disagree.
“If you look at his entire time in Congress, no town halls, no unscripted interactions, invitation-only complaints, the silent walks across Capitol Hill, the 116-day disappearance, the reporter being barred from the campaign event with police being called. It is part of a much larger pattern,” Rasmussen said.
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Kean faces a different political environment in New Jersey
Kean, who is running for a third term, did not have the same reputation when he was state Senate minority leader.
Present-day national politics have put the 7th Congressional District, whose educated, affluent constituents Rasmussen says have not been a part of Trump's electoral coalition, in a difficult political position.
“It is a truly swing district, and Tom Kean's reaction to that is to lie low, is to try to stay below the fray, below the radar screen, to avoid taking a stance on some of President Trump's most controversial positions, and to try and stay out of the fray,” Rasmussen said.
During the time that Kean was being treated and missed more than 140 congressional votes without a full explanation for his absence, Democrat Rebecca Bennett did not blame his medical condition. Instead, she called it part of a larger pattern.
“She’s also probably not going to call balls and strikes on each individual instance. She's going to try and say, ‘Well, you know, this has been his approach the entire time in Congress,’ and that's what she wants voters to reject,” Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen says Kean could change the narrative with one interview
If Kean were to seek advice on getting around his perceived silence, Rasmussen's advice would be to try a classic method: an in-depth, no-questions-barred interview.
“The complaints would fall on deaf ears after that. He could say, ‘Look, I just did this. I just did this interview. I just answered all the questions.’ That is a classic way that politicians can satisfy a complaint about not answering questions — to simply answer all the questions,” Rasmussen said.
However, the reality is that Kean will likely continue to fly low and try to appeal to all voters.
“I don't think that in the last 75 days you're going to see a change in that approach in terms of trying to stir up the base, knowing that he needs more than just his base and more than just Trump supporters to win this election,” Rasmussen said.
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