NJ-07: Thomas Kean, Jr. (R)

REPLACING:

Tom Malinowksi (D)[i]

WORK HISTORY:

New Jersey State Senate (State Senator, District 21 / Minority Leader); New Jersey General Assembly (Assemblymember, District 21 / District 22); US Environmental Protection Agency (Special Assistant); Office of Former US Representative Bob Franks (Aide)[ii]

EDUCATION:

BA, Dartmouth College; MA, Tufts University Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy[iii]

CAMPAIGNED ON:

Ending Wasteful Spending; Opening Up Supply Chains; Supporting Middle Class Tax Relief; Backing Energy Independence[iv]

SOCIAL MEDIA:

  

 

ON THE ISSUES

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS:

During the campaign, Kean’s website reportedly referred to him as a “fierce defender of the sanctity of life, fighting every step of the way to protect the unborn from egregious abortion laws proposed in New Jersey, and will continue to do so in Congress.”[v] Although he has said he supports “a woman’s right to choose,” Kean has also advocated for “reasonable restrictions,” which he said includes “life and (the) physical and mental health of the mother and the baby, rape and incest for example.” He has reportedly said he favored allowing abortions during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy.[vi]

ECONOMY, JOBS & TAXES:

Kean has called for ending “wasteful spending” to combat inflation, promoting “American industry to open up supply chains,” and “middle class tax relief.”[vii] He called the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act a “Liberal Spending Spree,” and he has opposed raising gas taxes.[viii] [ix] [x]

HEALTHCARE & SOCIAL SAFETY NET:

Kean is an opponent of the Lower Drug Costs Now Act, which he claimed would “literally get rid of the biotech industry and the pharma industry in New Jersey.”[xi] Notably, as a New Jersey State Senator, he sponsored legislation seeking to cap out-of-pocket prescription drug costs.[xii]

IMMIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY:

Kean has argued that Democrats have instituted “reckless immigration policies,” and he has called for “secur[ing]” the southern border.[xiii] Also during the campaign, Kean touted that, as a member of the New Jersey State Senate, he “was a vocal opponent of Governor Murphy’s Sanctuary State Policy, opposed funding legal aid for illegal immigrants, and opposed drivers licenses for illegal immigrants.” He has also said that he will “fight to build the wall, enforce our laws, and secure our border.”[xiv]

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY:

According to his campaign website, Kean will “ensure” that law enforcement receives “the funding and resources they need to keep our communities safe” and will oppose “all efforts” to defund police.[xv]

GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS & ELECTION SECURITY:

In a July 2021 Facebook post, Kean remarked, “Free and fair elections are the fundamental pillars of democracy.”[xvi]

EDUCATION:

Kean has said that he ran for Congress to “give parents a voice in their child’s education.”[xvii] On his campaign website, Kean pledged that he will “always fight for parents to have a strong voice in their children’s education – protecting curricula from Governor Murphy’s CRT agenda and fighting to ensure that core education is taught.”[xviii]

CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT:

A supporter of American energy independence to lower gas prices, Kean has called for “invest[ing] in clean energy and open space.”[xix] [xx] In a 2020 op-ed regarding climate change during his previous run for Congress, Kean pledged to be “a strong advocate for market-based legislation that incentivizes clean energy investments and promotes clean energy technologies” and said he opposed Green New Deal legislation.

BIG TECH & DATA PRIVACY:

As Minority Leader of the New Jersey State Senate, Kean sought to attract large technology companies, such as Google and Amazon, to New Jersey via lower corporate tax rates.[xxi]

GUN SAFETY:

The previous recipient of a 100 percent rating from the National Rifle Association, Kean voted against bills that would codify regulations defining the justifiable need to carry a handgun in the state and limit firearms magazine capacity to 10 rounds, respectively.[xxii] However, he has also voted for legislation to prohibit 3D-printed firearms, create “extreme risk protection orders”, and require background checks for private gun sales.[xxiii]

FOREIGN POLICY:

In tweets during the campaign, Kean said that one of the reasons he is running for Congress is to “Stand Up to China.”[xxiv] [xxv] In a February 2022 statement regarding Ukraine, Kean claimed, “It is clear that past sanctions have done nothing to deter Putin’s aggression. […] The President, along with our allies, must enact crippling economic sanctions immediately.”[xxvi]