Thomas Kean Jr.
Thomas Howard Kean Jr. is an American Republican politician currently serving as Minority Leader of the New Jersey Senate. From 2001 until 2003, he was a New Jersey General Assemblyman, and represented the 21st Legislative District, which includes parts of Union, Morris, Somerset, and Essex Counties. In 2003, he was elected a New Jersey state senator representing the same district, and in January 2008 became Minority Leader of the New Jersey Senate.
After Governor Chris Christie was reelected in 2013, Christie attempted to remove Kean as Minority Leader, but ultimately failed. Kean was frequently mentioned as a potential Republican candidate for governor in the 2017 New Jersey gubernatorial election, but did not seek the nomination. Kean announced in April 2019 that he would be running in 2020 for New Jersey's 7th congressional district, against first-term incumbent Democrat Tom Malinowski, and he won the Republican primary on July 7, 2020.
Early life
Kean was born in Livingston, New Jersey, the son of Deborah and Thomas Kean. He grew up on the family's estate in Livingston. Kean is a member of the Kean family, one of the oldest and most distinguished American families. His father is Thomas Kean, former governor of New Jersey. His grandfather is Robert Kean, a former Congressman from New Jersey. His great-grandfather, Hamilton Fish Kean, and great-great-uncle, John Kean, were both United States Senators. His grandmother's family are descendants of Peter Stuyvesant, the Dutch colonial Governor of New Amsterdam. His great-grandmother, Katharine Winthrop, was a direct descendant of John Winthrop, the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He is also a direct descendant of Thomas Dudley, Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and a signer of Harvard College's charter. His second great-great-uncle was Hamilton Fish, a United States Senator, Governor of New York, and U.S. Secretary of State. He is also a relative of William Livingston, the first governor of New Jersey.Kean is a graduate of the Pingry School and Dartmouth College and holds a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where he completed doctoral studies ABD in international relations. At Dartmouth, he was a member of the Psi Upsilon fraternity. He was an aide to former Congressman Bob Franks and a special assistant at the United States Environmental Protection Agency in the George H. W. Bush administration. He has also been a volunteer firefighter and a volunteer emergency medical technician. Presently, Kean resides in Westfield, New Jersey with his wife, Rhonda, and their two daughters. On April 24, 2020, Deborah passed away at the age of 76.
Campaigns for Congress
2000
Kean sought the Republican nomination for New Jersey's 7th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, but lost the Republican primary to Mike Ferguson by about 4,000 votes, finishing second in a field of four candidates.2006
Kean was the Republican nominee running for the United States Senate seat vacated by former U.S. Senator and former Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine, a seat now filled by Corzine's designated replacement, Bob Menendez. Kean was the winner of the June 6, 2006 primary against conservative John P. Ginty, by a 3–1 margin. He lost the general election to Menendez by a margin of 53.3% to 44.3%. The New Jersey Senate race was the narrowest victory for an incumbent Democrat in the United States. Kean was endorsed by The Courier-Post, The Press of Atlantic City, and Asbury Park Press.2020
On April 16, 2019, Kean announced that he was running for New Jersey's 7th congressional district in 2020, challenging first-term Democratic incumbent Tom Malinowski. In the first quarter of 2019 Kean nearly matched Malinowski's fundraising total of over $500,000. In August 2019, Kean received an endorsement from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.New Jersey Assembly
Kean was appointed to the General Assembly, the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature, in April 2001, to fill out the unexpired term of Alan Augustine, who had resigned on March 21, 2001, due to health reasons. He was elected to a full term in the Assembly in November 2001. In the Assembly, he was the chairman of the Republican Policy Committee and served as vice chairman for the State Government Committee.New Jersey Senate
In March 2003, he was appointed to the New Jersey Senate to fill out the unexpired term of Rich Bagger, and won election to that Senate seat in November 2003. In 2004, Kean was elected Senate Minority Whip, a position he held until 2007. He serves in the Senate on the Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. In the state legislature, Kean has been a proponent of ethics reform in New Jersey government. He was the original sponsor of legislation banning pay to play practices in New Jersey. He has sponsored legislation to streamline government, promote education, protect the environment, and lower property taxes. Kean was one of 24 elected officials chosen as an Aspen Rodel Fellow in Public Service.In 2002, Kean was named one of 40 state leaders from the entire nation to be recognized as a Toll Fellow by the Council of State Governments for high achievement and service to state government.
In 2005, the New Jersey Conference of Mayors named Kean as a Legislative Leader. He has also received, for the second year in a row, the Amerigroup Foundation’s Champion for Children award for his advocacy on behalf of children's health issues. He also has been named Legislator of the year by the Fireman’s Benevolent Association and has received a 100% voting record with the National Federation of Independent Business.
Keane was one of six Republicans in the state senate to vote for a 2019 appropriations bill which passed 31 to 6.
Committees
- Commerce
- Higher Education
- Legislative Oversight
- Legislative Services Commission
District 21
- Senator Thomas Kean Jr.,
- Assemblyman Jon Bramnick, and
- Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz
Electoral history