This GOP congressman is running unopposed in Tuesday’s primary. He’s been missing from Washington for nearly three months

GOP Rep. Tom Kean enters the primary unopposed Tuesday and is running for a third term in one of the nation’s most competitive seats.

But voters haven’t seen or heard from Kean directly in months, and it’s still unclear when he’ll return to work on Capitol Hill. Kean has yet to offer a date for his return to House Speaker Mike Johnson and his staff, who have maintained their razor-thin margins without him since early March, according to three GOP leadership sources.

congressman from New Jersey said in late April He said on social media that he was dealing with a “personal medical issue” and would be back “very soon,” without specifying what it was. He said late last month New Jersey Globe He said he would be back in the “next few weeks.”

But his absence is increasingly troubling House Republicans. Kean’s colleagues say they are concerned about his health and how his unexplained absence could complicate the GOP’s ability to hold on to a critical swing seat in an already difficult midterm cycle, multiple sources say.

Some Republicans are also frustrated by what they see as a major public relations failure, with the congressman’s team failing to answer specific questions about his return and then drawing national scrutiny for the lack of answers, sources say.

Multiple aides in Kean’s office did not respond to requests for comment from CNN.

Kean has spoken privately to Johnson since his last vote on March 5. But if the speaker or others in leadership were aware of Kean’s medical condition, they did not disclose it to colleagues or their own staff, the sources said.

Kean’s absence surprised many of his Republican colleagues in the House. Some specifically ask questions about what happens if Kean is forced to drop out of the race after the primary. Under New Jersey law, a post-elementary vacancy will be filled by the state’s GOP county committee leaders. (Kean told the Globe last month that he plans to run for re-election.)

But he maintained his leadership support, with Johnson openly backing him to reporters on Capitol Hill. And he won official Trump endorsement before the primary.

So far, his Democratic rivals in the primaries have mostly avoided using Kean’s absence as a political cudgel. But Republicans believe it will become a more prominent line of attack after voters choose their Democratic nominee Tuesday, choosing from four candidates who have raised more than $1 million each. (Former Navy helicopter pilot Rebecca Bennett is a front runner, having raised nearly $3 million.)

Since the beginning of March, Kean has continued to post regularly on his social media accounts. But those who go to high school are his staff graduations and ribbon cutting ceremonies for new businesses. His last public events appear to have been in early March, when he spent the weekend. attend events Like a documentary screening at the Ukrainian American Cultural Center in New Jersey.

For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account at: CNN.com