Two figures at the center of the Epstein file headlines are bankrolling a late-stage effort to salvage the candidacy of Rep. Tom Kean Jr., the most vulnerable House Republican incumbent in the nation, as Democratic challenger Rebecca Bennett seizes on his vote to continue U.S. military operations against Iran.
A Trump-aligned super PAC directed approximately $3.3 million toward supporting Kean in the midterm elections, according to records that show Elon Musk’s America PAC contributed roughly $90,000 across eight House races, including Kean’s, after spending more than $1 million to support him in 2024.
The spending comes as independent election analysts have changed their assessments of New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District in recent weeks.
The House voted 220-204 to approve a War Powers resolution directing President Donald Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran unless Congress authorizes the military action.
Although seven Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the measure, Kean voted against it.
Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, said it was the third time Kean had voted against efforts to end the conflict.
“Tom Kean Jr. is too afraid to stand up to his own party, and New Jerseyans are paying the price,” said Bennett, after her GOP foe “voted for the third time to continue Trump’s war in Iran.
“Gas prices continue to soar, and diesel prices have hit a record high,” Bennett said.
The national average price of diesel reached $6.05 per gallon on Sept. 11, according to AAA, while regular gasoline averaged $4.29 per gallon. In New Jersey, regular unleaded averaged $4.43 per gallon, up from $3.97 a month earlier.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the conflict had cost the Pentagon approximately $38 billion through Aug. 1 and that continued hostilities could cost an additional $2 billion to $3 billion per month.
Bennett’s campaign also cited the deaths of 18 American service members since the conflict began.
“I deployed to the Middle East and put my life on the line for this country,” Bennett said. “While Kean Jr. rolls over and lets this administration continue a war with no clear plan or exit strategy, I’m running to be a voice for New Jerseyans who want lower costs and no more forever wars.”
Kean defended the unprovoked military action after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran began Feb. 28, saying Trump made “the necessary decision to take action” after “months of failed negotiations” over Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
After the joint U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran began on February 28, 2026, Kean defended the action, stating that Trump made the “necessary decision” following failed nuclear negotiations.
Shortly after casting a vote on March 5, 2026, Kean disappeared for about four months, abandoning his congressional duties without public explanation and going several weeks without notice.
Once his absence was discovered, the case sparked widespread speculation and political criticism regarding his transparency.
Upon his return to the House floor on June 30, 2026, Kean explained that he suffered a nervous breakdown, and was admitted to a hospital for long-term treatment after receiving a psychiatric diagnosis.
Kean refused to address his 142-day absence beyond claiming that he has depression, claiming that the illness is a deeply physical and emotional battle rather than just “feeling sad.”
Kean has not revealed where he was treated, whether his psychiatric illness or prescribed medication could have influenced his vote for the war.
The public has not been informed whether Kean’s psychiatric illness resulted from his support of legislation that will deprive millions of Americans of health insurance and food assistance, or if he suffers delusions or other impairments that might influence his judgment.
The New Jersey State Democratic Committee criticized the influx of outside money.
“Donald Trump and Elon Musk want reliable yes-men in Congress to push their billionaire agenda that hurts everyday families — and they are trying to buy this seat to shore up one of their most loyal foot soldiers,” said State Democratic Chairman LeRoy J. Jones.
Kean’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment about the dark money spending on his behalf and he has generally refused to answer questions from the press and public.
He birefly addressed the mystery on the House floor, saying he entered hospital for testing several months ago due to health concerns and “did not believe that this would result in a long-term stay.” After the diagnosis was made, his doctors recommended remaining in hospital and “explained to me this would be the fastest way to recovery”, he said.
“I was given the diagnosis of depression,” Kean said in remarks on the House floor after returning to work on Tuesday. “It is physical, it is emotional and, until you’ve experienced it yourself, it is difficult to fully understand how powerful this illness can be.”
Kean, 57, is running for a third term in a district that is expected to go to the Democrat in November’s midterm elections.
He missed more than 140 votes while away and left many wondering whether his mental health problems render him unfit for service in Congress, an issue Democrats have gone to great lengths not to discuss.
Many Democratic lawmakers and Kean’s opponent, Bennett, expressed relief that he had returned to good health, emphasizing support for mental health awareness.
Bennett—a former Republican who served as a Navy helicopter pilot before winning the Democratic nomination in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District—said she wishes the Republican a full recovery but intends to keep the electoral focus on his legislative voting record, policy stances, and stock disclosures during the competitive midterm race.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) indicated it would continue targeting the seat as one of the most critical toss-up districts in the country, pressing the issue of accountability and cowardice.
The DCCC launched digital attack ads and issued statements criticizing Kean for continuing financial and stock transactions during the period he was AWOL from his congressional duties.
“When people hear the word depression, many people think it simply means feeling sad, but depression is so much more than that,” said Kean, who seems to resent demands for more answers.
Kean Jr. was ridiculed for his ludicrous claim that he does “the most local press engagements of any NJ Member of Congress.”
In an August 2026 post on his campaign’s social media account, Kean stated: “I do the most local press engagements of any NJ Member of Congress.”
He repeated this lie while attacking his Democratic opponent for staying “hidden from voters” despite her ubiquitous campaign appearances.
Multiple New Jersey reporters have publicly challenged Kean, noting that he refuses to respond to their interview requests.
News 12 New Jersey’s Eric Landskroner, mentioning that Bennett had appeared two weeks earlier, called out Kean Jr.’s continuous refusal to speak with the press or sit for interviews.
“He has largely ducked the media,” said Landskroner. “We’ve extended numerous invitations for him to appear on the show, and they have yet to accept.”
Kean’s refusal to answer questions from the press is part of a broader pattern: when it comes to issues that matter to the residents of NJ-7, despite his claims otherwise, Kean Jr. has repeatedly declined to explain his positions or account for actions that put his party loyalty ahead of the people.
Kean Jr. has folded to Donald Trump at every turn. When the Trump administration moved to withhold funding for the Gateway project, putting thousands of jobs, major economic investment, and a critical transportation project for New Jersey commuters at risk, Kean Jr. refused to publicly stand up for New Jersey’s interests.
While DHS attempted an unlawful takeover of a warehouse in Roxbury that would have wreaked havoc on local infrastructure and overburdened the town, Kean wasn’t just silent; he encouraged the “best path forward” for the takeover.
Kean Jr. has continually refused to speak up for the New Jersey residents he was elected to represent, because he put Trump over their interests every time, even blocking a vote to release the Epstein Files.
Kean Jr. faced criticism for declining to sign a discharge petition and repeatedly supporting House leadership procedural steps regarding transparency legislation, before ultimately voting in November 2025 alongside a near-unanimous House to pass the final bill forcing the release of federal Epstein investigation records.
Victims spoke out and pleaded for months for the full, unredacted files to be released, but Kean Jr. voted three times to block Democratic attempts to force release of the Epstein Files.
When he refused to sign the discharge petition that would have forced a vote, he refused to state what purpose, other than protecting pedophiles, that served.
Kean Jr.also continued to trade stocks during his 142-day absence, and he continues to trade stocks.
Kean Jr. has made hundreds of thousands of dollars on the stock market just this year, breaking his promise to set up a blind trust.
As residents are demanding guardrails for data centers, Kean Jr. invested in companies that are profiting off of AI data centers. Those stocks reaped him at least $30,000, revealing that his priorities for making profits outweigh his sense of obligation to his constituents.
Kean Jr. also consistently voted to support Trump’s war in Iran.
Although Kean campaigned on promises for lower costs here at home, he is instead shipping New Jerseyans’ tax dollars overseas on a war in Iran that has made everything more expensive and put American service members in harm’s way.
Why does Tom Kean Jr. keep refusing to speak to the press? Why does any member of Congress refuse to explain himself to the public?
He voted three times to continue the war in Iran, invested in AI data center stocks that reaped him at least $30,000, and refused to stand up to Trump when he threatened the Gateway project or when Marjorie Taylor Greene and other Republicans demanded the release of the Epstein Files.
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