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GOP Rep. Tom Kean Jr. ousted in New Jersey

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Cite

Yilek, C. (2026, November 4). GOP Rep. Tom Kean Jr. ousted in New Jersey. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-jersey-7-results-tom-kean-rebecca-bennett/

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

CBS News · collected 2026-11-04 · by Caitlin Yilek

Quick Summary

Rebecca Bennett defeated Republican Tom Kean Jr. in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, according to CBS News projections. During his two-term tenure, Kean missed several months of votes due to undisclosed health issues, revealing only in June that he was suffering from depression. This situation sparked discussion about the transparency required from elected officials regarding their health. Bennett had a significant fundraising advantage over Kean, raising nearly $8.2 million compared to Kean's $5.9 million during the election cycle.
Written by AI on 2026-11-05, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On November 4, 2026, Democrat Rebecca Bennett defeated Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr., flipping New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District for Democrats in their bid to gain control of the House. Kean, who was absent from Capitol Hill for nearly four months (March 5 to June 30) due to depression and missed over 140 votes, faced criticism during his absence and lost significant support from super PACs in the final weeks of the campaign. Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, campaigned on transparency regarding health issues and criticized Kean’s lack thereof. The district had previously been held by Republicans but flipped hands in each of the last two midterm elections.

Written for “Tom Kean Loses House Race” on 2026-11-06, grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Tom Kean Loses House Race
Politics · 4 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 8% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
GOP Rep. Tom Kean loses House seat after monthslong absence from Congress Same event
The Independent
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 9 claims Outlet record 59/100
GOP Rep. Tom Kean loses re-election bid after monthslong absence from Congress this year Same event
NBC News
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 18 claims Outlet record 72/100
New Jersey’s Tom Kean Jr. loses House race to Rebecca Bennett after prolonged medical absence Same event
Washington Examiner
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 10 claims Outlet record 69/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
12
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
8%
1 of 12 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
69/100
CBS News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
4
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-11-05 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Running correction rate · 8 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Caitlin Yilek
35 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Washington — Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez won a third term in Washington's 3rd Congressional District, CBS News projected.
2026-11-05 · assertive framing · Gluesenkamp Perez wins competitive Washington race
🔮 - House Democrats will control 251 to 268 seats, CBS News projects, after and .
2026-11-05 · assertive framing · Democrats prepare to take Congress after sweeping wins
🔮 Winners in dozens of races have yet to be projected by CBS News.
2026-11-05 · assertive framing · All the House districts that flipped in the midterm elections
🔮 Washington — GOP Rep. David Valadao lost his reelection bid in California's 22nd District, CBS News projected.
2026-11-04 · assertive framing · House Republican who voted to impeach Trump loses reelection
🔮 — Progressive William Lawrence beat one-term Republican Rep. Tom Barrett in Michigan's 7th Congressional District, CBS News projected.
2026-11-04 · assertive framing · Progressive beats GOP Rep. Tom Barrett in key Michigan district
🔮 House Speaker Mike Johnson told staffers that he will not run for minority leader in the new Congress, according to a source familiar with the matter, stepping aside after the GOP's .Johnson made the announcement on a call Wednesday morning, the source said.
2026-11-04 · mixed framing · Mike Johnson won't seek new term as House GOP leader after losses
🔮 CBS News projects Democrats will take control of both chambers when the new Congress convenes in January, with wide margins in each.
2026-11-04 · assertive framing · The biggest races Democrats won in the midterms
🔮 Longtime Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur won a rematch against Republican Derek Merrin in Ohio's 9th Congressional District, CBS News projected.
2026-11-04 · assertive framing · Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur wins Ohio rematch
🔮 Washington — lost his bid for reelection to Democrat Brian Poindexter in Ohio's 7th Congressional District, CBS News projected.
2026-11-04 · assertive framing · Embattled GOP Rep. Max Miller loses reelection in Ohio
🔮 Washington — Democrat Denise Powell flipped Nebraska's competitive 2nd Congressional District, which is currently represented by retiring Republican Rep. Don Bacon, CBS News projected.
2026-11-04 · assertive framing · Democrats flip Nebraska seat held by Trump critic Don Bacon
Also by Caitlin Yilek
Gluesenkamp Perez wins competitive Washington race
2026-11-05 · CBS News
Democrats prepare to take Congress after sweeping wins
2026-11-05 · CBS News
All the House districts that flipped in the midterm elections
2026-11-05 · CBS News
Progressive beats GOP Rep. Tom Barrett in key Michigan district
2026-11-04 · CBS News
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 35 articles by Caitlin Yilek →

Topics

Democrat GOP House New Jersey's Washington

Subjects

Kean PERSON · 8× House ORG · 5× Bennett PERSON · 2× Mike Johnson PERSON · 2× Washington GPE · 2× Democrat NORP · 1× GOP ORG · 1× New Jersey's GPE · 1× Rebecca Bennett PERSON · 1× Tom Kean Jr. PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Weeks before the election, the Congressional Leadership Fund, the super PAC allied with House Speaker Mike Johnson, shifted resources away from Kean's race to other critical contests, foreshadowing the 7th District outcome.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-11-05
🔮 Washington — Democrat Rebecca Bennett ousted GOP Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, CBS News projected.
2026-11-05 · CBS News
GOP Rep. Tom Kean Jr. ousted in New Jersey · assertive framing

Claims (12 extracted, 1 hedged)

Washington — Democrat Rebecca Bennett ousted GOP Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, CBS News projected. asserted
News → oust → District
The two-term congressman missed months of votes earlier this year as he was . asserted
he → miss → votes
Kean did not disclose the diagnosis or his hospitalization until he returned to Washington in late June — nearly four months after his absence became apparent. asserted
absence → disclose → June
In a speech on the House floor upon his return, Kean said "there is no timeline for recovery" for depression. asserted
Kean → say → depression
But the lack of details about his condition during his extended absence renewed the debate about how transparent elected officials should have to be about their health. asserted
officials → renew → health
Weeks before the election, the Congressional Leadership Fund, the super PAC allied with House Speaker Mike Johnson, shifted resources away from Kean's race to other critical contests, foreshadowing the 7th District outcome. asserted
Fund → ally → outcome
Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, had a fundraising edge over Kean according to their most recent quarterly Federal Election Commission filings. uncertain
Bennett → have → filings
Bennett reported raising about $3.9 million from July through September, while Kean reported less than $1 million over the same period. asserted
Kean → report → period
Through the whole election season, Bennett raised nearly $8.2 million compared to Kean's nearly $5.9 million. asserted
Bennett → raise → million
Kean, a former state lawmaker, was elected to Congress in 2022. asserted
Kean → elect → 2022
He defeated the Democratic incumbent, Rep. Tom Malinowski, flipping the district for the second time since the 2018 election. asserted
He → defeat → election
Since August, both House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries with their respective candidates in the district, signaling its importance to the parties as they vie for control of the lower chamber. asserted
they → signal → chamber
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