Police responded to a campaign fundraiser for U.S. Representative Tom Kean (R-NJ) on Friday after a New York Times reporter was reported as a trespasser. Tracey Tully, a reporter who has covered New Jersey for two decades, stated she was denied entry to the event at Hawk Point Golf Club in Washington Township and told it was private, though other media outlets were permitted inside.
The event featured an appearance by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to support Kean’s re-election campaign in New Jersey’s 7th congressional district. The gathering follows Kean’s return to Congress after a three-month absence earlier this year, which he later attributed to treatment for depression.
Tully reported that while she waited in the parking lot to interview Kean, local police officers confronted her, stating that someone from the event had called to report a trespasser. Sergeant Dallas Overko of the Washington Township Police Department later described the situation as a "communication" error. While Kean's office has declined requests for interviews with the Times, Speaker Johnson spoke briefly with Tully in the parking lot, remarking that he would have shared details about the absence "a little sooner" but that voters likely understand the circumstances.
For voters in this district, the debate over Kean’s accessibility centers on how much information a public official is obligated to provide regarding long absences from their duties in Washington, D.C. A three-month absence represents a quarter of a calendar year during which a congressional seat's voting power may be affected. The physical exclusion of a reporter from a major national newspaper, while local and specialized outlets are admitted, highlights ongoing tensions between political campaigns and the press regarding the control of public information.
The incident sets a precedent for how campaign staff and local law enforcement interact with journalists covering federal candidates in New Jersey. While the police department characterized the call as a misunderstanding, the use of law enforcement to address the presence of a reporter on public or semi-public property during a high-profile political event underscores the friction in campaign communications. Moving forward, Kean faces a re-election vote in November, where his opponent, Democrat Rebecca Bennett, has already used his history of limited media engagement as a campaign point. Kean maintains he has high levels of local press engagement.
Kean has not issued a specific statement regarding the police call but stated on social media that he maintains extensive engagement with local press. His office did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Independent. Rep. Rob Menendez (D-NJ) responded to the reports by sharing footage of Kean declining to answer questions on Capitol Hill.
No specific court dates or further police actions have been scheduled following the resolution of the call on Friday. The re-election for the 7th District will be decided by voters in the upcoming general election.