Dale Caldwell, Lt. Governor of New Jersey, resigns amid scathing ethics report
TheGrio...
Caldwell was New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill’s second-in-command and was the subject of a damning sexual harassment investigation.
Dale Caldwell, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill’s running mate during her historic 2025 gubernatorial campaign, has resigned after Sherrill demanded it.
Sherrill has 45 days to name a replacement. In the interim, Acting State Comptroller Shiley Emehelu will serve as acting secretary of state.
Caldwell submitted his resignation Friday afternoon, and Sherrill thanked him for his contributions to the campaign, his months of service, and his advocacy to address longstanding challenges facing Black communities across the state.
“His decision will allow us to move forward with important work serving the people of our state,” Sherrill said during a press conference on Friday.
Earlier this week, a 61-page report had been released regarding an investigation into Caldwell’s conduct, revealing that Caldwell asked a female staffer whether her friend was single, that he made numerous statements to female staff that made them uncomfortable, and that he received a sexual harassment complaint.
A law firm representing Caldwell disputed the report, stating its “conclusions go further than the evidence supports.”
“The question is not simply whether investigators believed one person over another,” Thomas Calcagni of Calcagni and Kanefsky said in a statement. “The question is whether the evidence actually proves that a violation occurred. In our view, the evidence does not support these findings.”
“The lieutenant governor’s resignation is necessary and in the best interest of New Jersey residents,” Sherrill said in a statement after the report’s release.
Had Caldwell not chosen to resign, the only way to remove him from his position would have been impeachment by a majority of New Jersey assemblymembers, followed by conviction by two-thirds of state senators. Caldwell had come under investigation over the allegations, and an outside firm, including former New Jersey Attorney General Chris Porrino and others from Lowenstein Sandler, interviewed numerous witnesses, including a whistleblower on the Lt. Governor’s staff.
According to the investigation, Caldwell reportedly engaged in numerous ethics violations, including giving his girlfriend, daughter, and a friend free admission to select events and asking officials in other states to help his partner get a job.
Caldwell seemingly acknowledged a relationship with a state employee, according to a statement from his attorneys. However, his representation stated he didn’t use his office to obtain a government benefit for his girlfriend.
In May, Caldwell denied the accusations, writing in a statement, “false accusations, especially against people of color, seem to be commonplace” in the current political environment.
“I have never asked anyone out on a date, ‘hit on,’ or pursued anyone romantically while conducting official business as Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State,” Caldwell wrote in a letter dated May 28. “Throughout my career in government, higher education, nonprofit leadership, ministry and public service, I have consistently conducted myself professionally and respectfully.”
Caldwell was the first man and first Black man to serve as New Jersey’s Lieutenant Governor since the position was established in 2010.