Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J., is back on Capitol Hill after nearly four months out of public view, and the political ground under him has shifted.

The two-term Republican disclosed Tuesday that he had been hospitalized for depression, ending a silence that turned New Jersey's 7th Congressional District into one of the most watched races in the country and handed Democrats a ready-made argument heading into November.

Kean's return, in a five-minute floor speech, was the first time constituents had seen him since March 5.

He told colleagues doctors advised an extended hospital stay and that he had underestimated how long recovery would take, saying, "There is no timeline for healing."

He has missed more than 140 roll call votes; a stretch that squeezed Speaker Mike Johnson's 218-212 majority and forced Republican leaders to defend an absence they were told little about.

The political map that greets him is not the one he left.

The Cook Political Report has rated New Jersey's 7th a toss-up, and voters there have ousted incumbents in each of the last two midterms.

Kean flipped the district in 2022, ousting Democrat Tom Malinowski 51.4% to 48.6%, then won reelection over Democrat Sue Altman 52% to 46% in 2024. President Donald Trump carried the district by a single point last year.

His opponent is set.

Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot and healthcare executive, won a four-way Democratic primary on June 2.

She has pledged to reject corporate PAC money and self-funding, an electability pitch aimed at soft Republicans across the sprawling suburban and exurban district that stretches from Union County to the Delaware River.

Kean, unopposed for the GOP nomination, holds a cash advantage, roughly $3.39 million on hand to Bennett's $765,000 as of mid-May, according to Center Square.

Bennett has already framed the race around Kean's absence and his vote for Trump's tax-and-spending package, which included Medicaid reductions.

Trump has endorsed Kean without mentioning the absence, and Johnson predicted Tuesday that Kean would be "easily" reelected.

Democrats need a net gain of three seats to retake the House, and party strategists have identified the 7th as one of a small set of suburban districts that could decide control of the House.

What Kean cannot do is reset the calendar. He returns with a diagnosis disclosed, an opponent chosen, and a district that Democrats have spent months telling voters he abandoned.

The next test is whether he can campaign in person after a spring in which he did neither.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.