New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill’s hand-picked lieutenant governor resigned Friday after an investigation found that he sexually harassed a staffer and repeatedly violated state ethics rules. Dale Caldwell stepped down less than a day after Sherrill released the findings and gave him until Friday to resign. The report describes an inappropriate sexual remark, unpaid guests at ticketed events and an effort to advance the career of a woman he was dating. Caldwell denied the remark and disputed that he had misused his office.
Sherrill selected Caldwell as her running mate in the 2025 governor’s race, putting him on the Democratic ticket that took office in January. He also served as New Jersey’s secretary of state, a role that oversees elections. The investigation began after the governor’s chief ethics officer received an anonymous complaint in May and hired an outside law firm to examine Caldwell’s conduct. Its findings left Sherrill calling for the resignation of the official she’d chosen to serve beside her.
The complaint alleged that Caldwell brought personal guests to events without paying for their admission and pursued women while conducting official business. Investigators examined those allegations and additional accounts from state employees, event records and Caldwell himself. Their September 23rd report substantiated one workplace harassment violation and two categories of ethics violations. It also recorded allegations the investigators couldn’t substantiate, including a rumored inappropriate text message that they were unable to obtain.
As Trending Politics reported, Sherrill announced Thursday evening that Caldwell had one day to leave office. The 61-page investigative report says Caldwell made a romantic advance toward a staffer’s friend at an official event. After the friend rebuffed him, investigators found, Caldwell told the staffer that “you young women are looking for young sperm.” The staffer said she subsequently tried to distance herself from him at work.
Caldwell denied making that comment. Investigators found the staffer’s account credible and concluded that the sexual remark violated New Jersey’s workplace policy. Their report also says senior officials had warned Caldwell about concerns involving his behavior toward women before the investigation began. Caldwell acknowledged meeting the staffer’s friend and asking for her phone number, but denied asking her on a date.
The ethics findings covered conduct at public events as well. Investigators identified seven ticketed events between February and May at which Caldwell reportedly appeared with guests admitted without payment; known ticket prices ranged from $65 to $300. The guests included his daughter, a friend and his romantic partner. According to the report, Caldwell continued bringing unpaid guests after receiving guidance about the rules, including at an event the day after a formal ethics training.
See Sherrill announce Caldwell’s resignation here:
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Investigators also found that Caldwell advocated for a promotion for a state employee with whom he was romantically involved. In a May 26th email to a department official, he forwarded her résumé and described her as “my friend,” without disclosing their relationship. He had raised her advancement with another official as well, the report says. Caldwell maintained that he’d merely recommended a qualified person and hadn’t insisted she be hired. The woman received no promotion, raise or other benefit.
Sherrill called the findings “serious, repeated violations of state policy” in her Thursday statement. She said the ethical lapses had persisted despite warnings and training and called the substantiated harassment finding troubling. “I’m calling for his resignation and giving him until tomorrow to do so,” she said. She said Caldwell’s resignation was necessary and in the best interest of New Jersey residents.
Caldwell submitted his resignation Friday afternoon, Sherrill announced. She said she would choose a new lieutenant governor and named Acting Comptroller Shirley Emehelu acting secretary of state. With the November election 39 days away, Sherrill said the state needed an official in place to oversee it. Emehelu, she said, had worked at the U.S. Justice Department and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.