NJ-07: How Rebecca Bennett is threading the needle on Tom Kean Jr.'s depression

[RandySF]

While Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. was missing for four months, his Democratic opponent, Rebecca Bennett, only occasionally talked about his absence.

And when she did, she didn’t have to say much.

Kean’s silence spoke louder than anything Bennett could put into words. His Republican colleagues from New Jersey called it “radio silence.” Reporters staked out his house. One intrepid scribe even traveled to an exclusive island where his father, a beloved former governor, owns a vacation home. Democratic political organizations issued scathing press releases and paid advertisements. And Congressional reporters needled House Speaker Mike Johnson about it.

Bennett took a decidedly different approach. She repeatedly wished Kean well before attacking him for his links to President Donald Trump and his voting record. When Kean announced on Tuesday he was hospitalized for depression, Bennett didn’t change that strategy.



https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/05/how-rebecca-bennett-is-threading-the-needle-on-tom-kean-jr-s-depression-00986392