2026 Midterm Elections

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In amongst the noise of the coming election, a mystery has popped up.

Tom Kean Jr.’s absence from Congress prompts criticism from Democratic rivals

The unknown medical ailment that has kept Republican Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. out of the public eye for two months took center stage Tuesday during a debate of his Democratic rivals, who called his absence from Congress a sign why voters should boot him from office.

“If you were missing work, you would tell your boss, and Tom Kean Jr.’s boss is the people. He did not tell us. That’s it. And in the time that he did not show up for work, he has raised more than $600,000 just from corporate PACs alone. That tells you who his boss is,” said Michael Roth, one of four Democrats vying for their party’s nomination in the June 2 primary. “It is time that we get a member of Congress who will show up.”

Kean, who was first elected in 2022 to represent the 7th Congressional District, has missed about 80 votes since his last recorded House vote on March 5. He hasn’t been seen in person in Washington, D.C., or New Jersey since mid-March, with his staff saying only that he is dealing with a personal health issue. He released a statement on social media three weeks ago saying that his doctors expect he’ll make a full recovery and that he would return to work “very soon.”

 

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Trump's GOP purge claims Cornyn as Paxton wins: Texas runoff takeaways

President Donald Trump's purge of Republicans who have dared to defy him reached a new height on May 26 with the ousting Texas Sen. John Cornyn.

A four-term pillar of the GOP establishment, Cornyn once climbed to his party's No. 2 leadership post in the upper chamber of Congress.

But even with the support of Senate leadership and a fundraising edge, the 74-year-old lawmaker lost a bitter runoff race to state Attorney General Ken Paxton, a scandal-plagued but MAGA-coded conservative who was endorsed by the president.

With Talarico as the Democratic nominee, we have the Very Good vs Pure Evil contest for November.