New Jersey Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill is calling on her hand-picked lieutenant governor to resign after an independent investigation concluded that he sexually harassed a woman and repeatedly violated state ethics rules.
Sherrill announced Thursday evening that Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell should leave office by Friday following the release of a 61-page report examining allegations involving his treatment of women, efforts to help a romantic partner secure a promotion and his acceptance of benefits connected to ticketed events.
“The investigation found that the Lieutenant Governor engaged in serious, repeated violations of state policy and failed to uphold the responsibilities of his office,” Sherrill said. “I’m calling for his resignation and giving him until tomorrow to do so.”
Sherrill said the substantiated violations demonstrated “a pattern of behavior that does not meet the standards of this Administration.”
The governor’s office hired former New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino and his law firm, Lowenstein Sandler, to conduct the investigation after receiving an anonymous complaint concerning Caldwell in May.
Investigators interviewed at least 17 people and reviewed emails, text messages and other records before issuing their findings.
Among the most serious allegations involved an encounter in April.
According to the report, Caldwell made a romantic advance toward the friend of a female staff member. After the woman rejected him, investigators concluded that Caldwell made an inappropriate sexual remark to the staffer about younger women.
The report concluded that Caldwell’s behavior violated New Jersey’s policy prohibiting discrimination in the workplace.
Caldwell has denied making the remark.
His attorney, Thomas Calcagni, disputed the investigation’s conclusions and noted that a state trooper who was nearby said he did not hear the alleged exchange.
“The question is not simply whether investigators believed one person over another,” Calcagni said. “The question is whether the evidence actually proves that a violation occurred. In our view, the evidence does not support these findings.”
Calcagni said Caldwell believes a complete examination of the evidence will show that the report’s conclusions “go far beyond what the evidence establishes.”
Investigators also concluded that Caldwell violated state ethics rules by twice seeking a promotion for a state employee with whom he was romantically involved without initially disclosing their relationship.
According to the report, Caldwell first emailed officials about promoting the woman and later made another verbal request on her behalf.
The second attempt came after Caldwell had already been warned about the potential ethical problem, investigators said.
The employee did not ultimately receive the promotion and has since left state government.
Caldwell told investigators that he routinely forwarded resumes from people seeking employment and did not order anyone to hire or promote his romantic partner.
His attorney similarly argued that forwarding the resume of a qualified applicant was different from using public office to force officials to provide someone with a financial benefit.
“The report cites no evidence indicating that Dr. Caldwell ordered anyone to promote her, or controlled the hiring decision or demanded that she receive a new position,” Calcagni said.
The investigation identified another ethics issue involving Caldwell bringing personal guests to seven ticketed events without paying for their admission or obtaining the required ethics approval.
Investigators said that behavior continued despite warnings and repeated workplace and ethics training.
The report said Caldwell had undergone six workplace and ethics training sessions.
Sherrill said the repeated nature of the findings left her with no choice but to demand his departure.
“I hold everyone in my Administration to the highest ethical standard,” she said. “We all have a duty to follow our state ethics and harassment policy and our Code of Conduct. Anyone who violates these will be held accountable.”
Sherrill selected Caldwell as her running mate during the 2025 gubernatorial campaign, and the pair took office in January.
Caldwell, 66, previously served as president of Centenary University and is the son of the Rev. Gilbert Caldwell, a prominent civil rights activist.
The controversy presents an unusual political problem for Sherrill because Caldwell is not an ordinary member of her administration whom she can simply dismiss.
Caldwell was elected lieutenant governor alongside Sherrill in November 2025 and therefore holds an independently elected constitutional office.
Under New Jersey law, Caldwell would have to resign voluntarily or potentially face impeachment proceedings. Removing him through impeachment would ultimately require a two-thirds vote in the state Senate.
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