WASHINGTON — When U.S. Sen. John Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Center to be treated for depression in February 2023, his office announced the decision publicly, as well as notifying the public of his discharge six weeks later.
But when Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) was hospitalized for the same illness, months went by without any information. Kean was absent for more than 100 days and missed more than 100 votes.
Not until Tuesday did Kean explain why he was gone for so long.
“Several months ago, due to health concerns, I entered the hospital for some testing,” he said on the House floor. “I was given the diagnosis of depression. …The doctors recommended that I remain in the hospital to address my illness. They explained to me that it would be the fastest way to recovery.”
Why didn’t he say anything earlier? Kean said he was uncomfortable talking about himself.
“I am a private person by nature,” Kean said. “I’ve spent most of my life talking about the people I represent, the issues facing our communities, and the work that needs to be done. Talking about myself has never come naturally.”
Even so, Kean should get credit for eventually coming forward, said Ben Dworkin, director of Rowan University’s Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship.
“Far too many people do not reveal their own personal challenges with mental health and whenever anybody in the public view does so, we’ll hopefully contribute to those who need to seek help to be able to get help both from their family and medical professionals,” Dworkin said.
By contrast, Fetterman (D-Pa.), who had a stroke during the 2022 campaign in which he became the only Democrat to flip a Republican-held U.S. Senate seat, quickly has used his personal experiences to advocate for getting mental health treatment.
He told CBS News before returning to the Capitol that he was agnostic about living at the height of his depression.
“I never had any self-harm, but I was indifferent,” he said in April 2023. “If the doctor said, ‘Gee, you have 18 months to live,’ I’d be like, ‘Yeah, OK, well, that’s how things go.’”
He received a round of applause from his Senate Democratic colleagues upon his return this month, as well as praise for being so willing to discuss his mental health struggles.
“He is an extraordinarily courageous colleague who has already shown his willingness to be vulnerable and yet in many ways through that be an extraordinary leader,” U.S. Sen. Cory Booker said at the time. “He is a person who so many Americans can relate to because we all have family members who may be struggling with mental illness, which has often been relegated to the shadows of our society but affects us all directly or indirectly.”
Months later, Fetterman continued to talk about his mental health.
“I’m paying it forward by talking about it,” he told NBC News in December 2023. “No matter how bad it might … look right now, I’m begging you, it’s not that bad. It’s not that bad. And even if you think that’s true, hold on. Just, you’ve got to hold on. And you can’t imagine how much better it can get if you make the investment and the commitment to just hold that line and — and work to get better on that.”
He did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Kean.
Kean’s long silence about his mental health won’t be an issue this fall, Dworkin said.
“A week is a lifetime in politics,” Dworkin said. “We have a lot of weeks before people actually vote in this election. And I think as we go, through all that time. This part of the story, this part of the narrative, will be less important than others.”
What will be an issue is President Donald Trump’s record and how much Kean supported him, Dworkin said.
“The midterm election is almost always a referendum on the sitting president and we expect 2026 to be no different,” Dworkin said. “Come November, the focus will be less on the votes Kean missed than the votes he actually took, and his general support for the president.”
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