Jump to content

Thomas Kean Jr.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 69.142.229.154 (talk) at 03:12, 17 July 2006. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

File:Keantom.jpg
Sen. Tom Kean Jr.

Thomas Howard Kean Jr. (born September 5, 1968) is an American Republican Party politician, who has been serving in the New Jersey State Senate since 2003, where he represents the 21st Legislative District, which covers parts of Union, Morris, Somerset and Essex Counties. He is the Republican candidate for the upcoming 2006 U.S. Senate election. His father is Thomas Kean, who was Governor of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990.

Kean is a graduate of the Pingry School and Dartmouth College and is completing a degree in International Relations from Tufts University. He is a former aide to former Congressman Bob Franks and was a special assistant at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He has also been a volunteer firefighter and a volunteer EMT.

Kean currently resides in Westfield with his wife, Rhonda, and their two daughters.

New Jersey legislature

Kean’s career in the New Jersey Legislature began in the New Jersey State Assembly where he quickly developed a reputation as a leader on ethics reform. He was the original sponsor of legislation banning pay to play practices in New Jersey. In addition, he has sponsored legislation to streamline government, promote education, protect the environment, and lower property taxes. Overall, Kean has staked out a legislative career that can be described as thoughtful yet determined in its approach to solving the problems facing New Jersey. Kean currently is serving in the New Jersey Senate where he sits on the Judiciary Committee as well as the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee.

Kean’s colleagues have continuously recognized his leadership abilities and have on several occasions elected him to leadership posts. In the Assembly, he was the Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee and served as Vice Chairman for the State Government Committee. In 2004, Kean was unanimously elected Senate Minority Whip—a position he still holds today.

Kean’s work in the Legislature has also been recognized by several organizations both in New Jersey and across the country. Recently, he was one of only twenty-four elected officials from across the United States to be chosen as a distinguished Aspen Rodel Fellow in Public Service. In 2002, Kean was named one of forty state leaders from the entire nation to be recognized as a Toll Fellow by the Council of State Governments for high achievement and service to state government.

In 2005, the New Jersey Conference of Mayors named Kean as a Legislative Leader. He has also received, for the second year in a row, the Amerigroup Foundation’s Champion for Children award for his advocacy on behalf of children’s health issues. Kean also has been named Legislator of the Year by the Fireman’s Benevolent Association and has received a 100% voting record with the National Federation of Independent Business.

District 21

Each of the forty districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the New Jersey General Assembly. The other representatives from the 21st Legislative District are:

2006 campaign for U.S. Senate

Main article: New Jersey United States Senate election, 2006

Kean is the Republican nominee running for the United States Senate seat vacated by former U.S. Senator and current Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine, a seat now filled by Corzine's designated replacement, Robert Menendez. Kean was the winner of the June 6, 2006 primary against conservative John Ginty, by a 3-1 margin, [1] and will face Menendez, the Democratic Party nominee, in the November 2006 general election.

The televised debates between Kean and Menendez have been incendiary, with charges of impropriety a regular feature[2].

Political beliefs

On the economy, Kean supports tax cuts and free trade. He opposes government-funded universal health care and supports tort reform and medical malpractice reform to lower health care costs. Kean is pro-choice and voted with Democrats to fund stem cell research as a state senator. He additionally supports New Jersey's gun control laws, which are some of the strictest in the nation.[3]

In a May 2000 interview, Kean told the Westfield Leader that the first priority for federal budget surplus funds should be to increase the life of Social Security and Medicare. After that, he would support using the surplus to pare down the national debt, followed by federal tax cuts. He said that he supported investing 2 percent of the Social Security Trust Fund in the stock market, in the form of personal retirement accounts that would be controlled by individuals rather than the government.[4] That month he told the AP that he supported "the idea of letting people invest part of their Social Security payroll taxes into a private investment account they would manage." [5]

References

  1. ^ Unofficial List - Candidates for US Senate - For June 2006 Primary Election, dated June 7, 2006
  2. ^ Menendez, Kean go to the mat again: U.S. Senate hopefuls revisit issues from ethics to Iraq to state budget in Day 2 of debate, Star-Ledger, June 27, 2006
  3. ^ N.J. GOP Senate Candidate Faces Threat in June Primary, Fox News, April 25, 2006
  4. ^ Paul J. Peyton, "Kean Feels Family Name, Congressional Aide Work Puts Him Ahead of Field", Westfield Leader, May 25, 2000
  5. ^ May 15, 2000, Associated Press article by Laurence Arnold, cited by TalkingPointsMemo.com, July 8, 2006


Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thomas_Kean_Jr.&oldid=64222618"