New Jersey Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell resigned Friday after an independent investigation found that he sexually harassed a woman and repeatedly violated state ethics policies, bringing an abrupt end to his tenure less than a year after taking office.
Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced Caldwell’s resignation during a Friday afternoon news conference, one day after publicly demanding that her lieutenant governor step aside.
“I gave the Lieutenant Governor until today to resign,” Sherrill said. “He submitted his resignation to me this afternoon, which I accepted.”
The governor said the 66-year-old Caldwell’s departure would allow her administration to move forward following the release of a 61-page investigative report detailing allegations involving women, a romantic relationship with a state employee and his use of tickets to events.
“His decision will allow us to move forward with the important work of serving the people of our state,” Sherrill said.
The lieutenant governor’s position will not remain vacant indefinitely.
Under the New Jersey Constitution, when a vacancy occurs because of the resignation, death or removal of a lieutenant governor, the governor must appoint a replacement within 45 days to serve the remainder of the term.
Sherrill said she intends to move “swiftly and thoughtfully” in selecting Caldwell’s successor.
BREAKING: Democrat New Jersey Lt. Gov Dale G. Caldwell JUST RESIGNED after an investigation found he committed s*xual harassment and ethics violationspic.twitter.com/v0QEJMEssq
— Real America's Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) September 25, 2026
Caldwell’s resignation followed a months-long investigation conducted by Lowenstein Sandler, the law firm of former New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino.
The governor’s chief ethics officer initiated the investigation after receiving an anonymous complaint in May concerning Caldwell’s conduct.
Investigators ultimately concluded that Caldwell committed “serious, repeated violations of state policy,” including a substantiated violation of New Jersey’s workplace sexual harassment policy.
According to the report, Caldwell made a romantic advance toward the friend of a female staff member. After the woman rejected him, Caldwell allegedly made a sexually explicit remark to the staffer about her and her friend.
Investigators concluded that the comment was sexual in nature and affected the staffer’s interactions with Caldwell, causing her to distance herself from him and attempt to avoid traveling with him.
Caldwell has denied making the remark.
The investigation also concluded that Caldwell violated state ethics rules by attempting to help a state employee with whom he was romantically involved obtain a promotion.
Investigators said Caldwell sought the promotion on two occasions without initially disclosing the personal relationship.
The report said the second attempt occurred after Caldwell had already been warned about the potential ethical problem.
The employee did not receive the promotion and later left state government.
Investigators additionally found that Caldwell brought personal guests to seven ticketed events without paying for their admission or receiving required ethics approval.
Sherrill said the findings were particularly concerning because Caldwell had received multiple ethics and workplace training sessions.
Caldwell and his attorney, Thomas Calcagni, have strongly disputed portions of the investigation.
Calcagni argued that the report relied too heavily on anonymous allegations and disputed evidence while minimizing testimony favorable to Caldwell.
Caldwell also denied using his position to obtain a promotion for his romantic partner, maintaining that he believed she was qualified and that he had not ordered state officials to give her a job.
After resigning, Caldwell continued to challenge the investigation’s conclusions.
Speaking to Fox News outside his home Friday, Caldwell called the report “specious,” “ridiculous” and “poorly done.”
He said his decision to leave office should not be interpreted as an admission that the report’s findings were correct.
“I’m not resigning because of that ridiculous report,” Caldwell said. “I’m resigning because I don’t want to be a distraction to the Mikie Sherrill administration.”
The resignation resolves what could have developed into an unusual constitutional showdown in Trenton.
Unlike ordinary members of the governor’s administration, Caldwell could not simply be fired by Sherrill.
The lieutenant governor is an independently elected constitutional officer in New Jersey. Caldwell was elected alongside Sherrill in November 2025 and took office in January.
Had he refused to resign, lawmakers could have pursued impeachment and removal proceedings.
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