Thomas Kean Jr.
Tom Kean | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minority Leader of the New Jersey Senate | |
| Assumed office January 8, 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Leonard Lance |
| Member of the New Jersey Senate from the 21st district | |
| Assumed office March 1, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Rich Bagger |
| Member of the New Jersey General Assembly | |
| In office April 19, 2001 – March 1, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Alan Augustine |
| Succeeded by | Jon Bramnick |
| Constituency | 22nd district (2001–2002) 21st district (2002–2003) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas Howard Kean Jr. September 5, 1968 Livingston, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Rhonda Kean |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents | Thomas Kean (father) Deborah Kean (mother) |
| Relatives | Robert Kean (grandfather) Leslie Kean (cousin) |
| Residence | Westfield, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Education | Dartmouth College (BA) Tufts University (MA) |
| Website | Official website Legislative website |
Thomas Howard Kean Jr. (/ˈkeɪn/;[1] born September 5, 1968) 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, and has served in the position since.
After Governor Chris Christie was reelected in 2013, Christie attempted to remove Kean as Minority Leader, but ultimately failed.[2] Kean was frequently mentioned as a potential Republican candidate for governor in the 2017 New Jersey gubernatorial election, but did not seek the nomination.[3] He was the Republican nominee for New Jersey's 7th congressional district in 2020, but was narrowly defeated by incumbent Democrat Tom Malinowski in the general election.
Early life[]
Kean was born in Livingston, New Jersey, the son of Deborah (née Bye)[4] and Thomas Kean, a former governor of New Jersey. He grew up on the family's estate in Livingston.[5] 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 (now known as New York). 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.[6]
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.[7] At Dartmouth, he was a member of the Psi Upsilon fraternity. [8] 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.[9]
Campaigns for U.S. House and Senate[]
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.[10]
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.[11] 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 in an election that saw Democrats retake control of the Senate as part of a nationwide backlash against the Bush administration.[12] 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.[13] In the first quarter of 2019 Kean nearly matched Malinowski's fundraising total of over $500,000.[14] In August 2019, Kean received an endorsement from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.[15] Kean won the Republican primary over token opposition, and narrowly lost to Malinowski in the general election. It was the closest House race in New Jersey and one of the closest in the country; due to the close margin and slow counting of mail-in and provisional ballots, the outcome remained in doubt until nearly two weeks after the election.[16]
2022[]
Kean announced in February that he would not seek re-election to the State Senate and quickly became a top recruit for Republicans to run for New Jersey's 7th congressional district after losing by 1.2% for the same seat in 2020.[17] Incumbent Democrat Tom Malinowski was under scrutiny after his failure to disclose more than 100 stock trades became a national news story and led to a complaint filed with the House Ethics Committee.[18][19] David Wasserman, the U.S. House editor of the non-partisan Cook Political Report, suggested that Democrats could redraw the 7th district as more Republican in exchange for making the 11th district and 5th district more solidly democratic. Kean formally announced his campaign on July 14, 2021 joined by U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.[20][21]
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.[22] 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[]
Tenure[]
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.[7] 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.[23]
Kean was one of six Republicans in the state senate to vote for a 2019 appropriations bill which passed 31 to 6.[24]
Committees[]
- Commerce
- Higher Education
- Legislative Oversight
- Legislative Services Commission
District 21[]
The representatives to the New Jersey Legislature for the 21st District for the 218th Legislature are:
- Senator Thomas Kean Jr. (R)
- Assemblyman Jon Bramnick (R)
- Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz (R)
Electoral history[]
United States House of Representatives[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Malinowski (incumbent) | 219,629 | 50.6 | |
| Republican | Tom Kean Jr. | 214,318 | 49.4 | |
| Democratic hold | ||||
New Jersey Senate[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Thomas Kean Jr. (Incumbent) | 37,579 | 54.7 | |
| Democratic | Jill Lazare | 31,123 | 45.3 | |
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Thomas Kean Jr. (Incumbent) | 42,423 | 69.6 | |
| Democratic | Michael Komondy | 18,517 | 30.4 | |
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Thomas Kean Jr. (Incumbent) | 27,750 | 67.5 | |
| Democratic | Paul Swanicke | 13,351 | 32.5 | |
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Thomas Kean Jr. (Incumbent) | 29,795 | 59.7 | |
| Democratic | Gina Genovese | 20,092 | 40.3 | |
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Thomas Kean Jr. (Incumbent) | 32,058 | 67.4 |  8.8
| |
| Democratic | Francis D. McIntyre | 14,470 | 30.4 |  11.0
| |
| Green | Teresa Migliore-DiMatteo | 1,055 | 2.2 | N/A | |
| Total votes | 47,583 | 100.0 | |||
New Jersey Assembly[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Thomas Kean Jr. | 44,223 | 31.8 | |
| Republican | Eric Munoz | 39,457 | 28.4 | |
| Democratic | Tom Jardim | 28,499 | 20.5 | |
| Democratic | J. Brooke Hern | 26,896 | 19.3 | |
| Total votes | 139,075 | 100.0 | ||
United States Senate[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bob Menendez (inc.) | 1,200,843 | 53.3% | +3.1% | |
| Republican | Thomas Kean Jr. | 997,775 | 44.3% | −2.8% | |
| Libertarian | Len Flynn | 14,637 | 0.7% | +0.4% | |
| Marijuana | Edward Forchion | 11,593 | 0.5% | ||
| Independent | J.M. Carter | 7,918 | 0.4 | +0.2 | |
| Independent | N. Leonard Smith | 6,243 | 0.3% | ||
| Independent | Daryl Brooks | 5,138 | 0.2% | ||
| Socialist Workers | Angela Lariscy | 3,433 | 0.2% | +0.1% | |
| Socialist | Gregory Pason | 2,490 | 0.1% | +0.0% | |
| Majority | 203,068 | 9.0% | |||
| Turnout | 2,250,070 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | 3.26% | |||
References[]
- ^ Felzenberg, Alvin S. (2006). Governor Tom Kean. Rutgers University Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-8135-3799-3.
From the time James Kean arrived in South Carolina, the Keans took pains to retain the proper pronunciation of their name, which rhymes with rain rather than with green.
- ^ Isherwood, Darryl (8 November 2013). "Democrats continue to savage Kean". NJ.com. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- ^ Lizza, Ryan (14 April 2014). "Crossing Christie". New Yorker. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- ^ Staff. "Weddings; Dorian Drees, Reed Kean", The New York Times, December 10, 2000. Accessed September 5, 2019. "Dorian Drees, a daughter of Susan Drees Sugarman of Palm City, Fla., and the late John M. Drees, was married yesterday to Reed Stuyvesant Kean, a son of Thomas H. Kean, the former governor of New Jersey, and Deborah Bye Kean of Far Hills, N.J."
- ^ Chen, David W. "A Kean on the Ballot? What Else Is New?", The New York Times, September 16, 2006. Accessed February 24, 2011. "As he grew up at the family homestead in Livingston, the younger Mr. Kean said he was most impressed with the reception that his father received in the community."
- ^ Staff. "10 Things to Know About Tom Kean", The Star-Ledger, April 10, 2015. Accessed November 23, 2016.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Senator Thomas H. Kean Jr. legislative web page, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed April 17, 2008.
- ^ Chen, David W. (October 23, 2006). "Out to Show He's Not Just an Old Jersey Name (Published 2006)" – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Chen, David W. "For Menendez and Kean, a Fierce First Debate", The New York Times, June 26, 2006. Accessed March 7, 2008. "Then, a few minutes later, the most dramatic exchange occurred when Mr. Kean sought to contrast his own background and record in Westfield, a wealthy suburb, with Mr. Menendez's in Hudson County."
- ^ "2000 Primary Election Results -- U.S. House of Representatives" (PDF). New Jersey Division of Elections. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
- ^ Unofficial List - Candidates for US Senate - For June 2006 Primary Election Archived 2006-09-22 at the Wayback Machine, dated June 7, 2006
- ^ "CNN.com - Elections 2006". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
- ^ NJ.com, Brent Johnson | NJ Advance Media for; NJ.com, Jonathan D. Salant | NJ Advance Media for (April 16, 2019). "Big-name N.J. Republican Tom Kean Jr. challenges rookie Democrat for seat in Congress". nj.
- ^ "Kean raises 500k for House bid". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
- ^ "House Minority Leader endorses Kean". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
- ^ "Malinowski defeats Kean in close race". New Jersey Globe. November 18, 2020.
- ^ David Wildstein (February 1, 2021). "Kean Won't Seek Re-Election To State Senate Seat, Possibly Setting Up Rematch With Malinowski". New Jersey Globe.
- ^ David Wildstein (July 1, 2021). "Kean will run for Congress in 2022 in rematch against Malinowski". New Jersey Globe.
- ^ Kerry Picket (July 5, 2021). "Tom Kean Jr. hopes the fourth time's a charm in bid for New Jersey House seat". Yahoo News.
- ^ Johnathan D. Salant (July 11, 2021). "Tom Kean Jr. to kick off N.J. campaign for Congress with help from top House Republican". nj.
- ^ Stephanie Murray (July 12, 2021). "It's Republican-vs.-Republican in Texas". Politico.
- ^ Bowman, Bill. "Ex-governor's son swims upstream", Asbury Park Press, September 27, 2003. Accessed April 17, 2008. "Kean, who was appointed to the Assembly in March 2001 upon the resignation of the late Alan Augustine, won re-election in 2001. He was appointed to his 21st District Senate seat earlier this year after the resignation of Richard H. Bagger."
- ^ Senator Tom Kean, Jr., New Jersey Senate Republicans. Accessed November 23, 2016.
- ^ "Senate passes budget 31-6". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
- ^ "New Jersey Election Results: Seventh Congressional District". Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- ^ "Official List Candidates for State Senate For General Election 11/07/2017 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. November 29, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
- ^ "Official List Candidates for State Senate For General Election 11/05/2015 Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. December 4, 2013. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
- ^ Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For November 2011 General Election, New Jersey Department of State, December 14, 2011. Accessed June 22, 2012.
- ^ Official List Candidate Returns for State Senate For November 2007 General Election, New Jersey Department of State, December 3, 2007. Accessed June 22, 2012.
- ^ "Official List, Candidate Returns for State Senate for November 2003 General Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
- ^ "2001-general-elect-gen-assembly-tallies.pdf" (PDF). New Jersey Secretary of State. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ Official List: Candidates for US Senate For November 2006 General Election Archived 2007-11-26 at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, Division of Elections, dated December 4, 2006. Accessed September 26, 2007.
External links[]
- Official website
- Senator Thomas H. Kean Jr. legislative web page, New Jersey Legislature
- New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms
- District 21 Candidates website Kean (Senate), Bramnick & Munoz (Assembly).
- "The New Jersey X Factor", Mother Jones magazine, October 30, 2006.
- Appearances on C-SPAN
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