New Jersey's Democratic governor calls for her lieutenant governor's resignation following a sexual harassment investigation

Mikie Sherrill, governor of New Jersey, publicly called for the resignation of her lieutenant governor, Dale Caldwell. In a post on her X account, Sherrill stated that an independent investigation revealed that Caldwell had committed "serious and repeated violations of state policy," including "sexual harassment" against a state employee.

The investigation Sherrill cited was conducted by the law firm Lowenstein Sandler at the request of the New Jersey Ethics Director's office after it received an anonymous complaint in May about Caldwell's conduct. The report, dated September 23 and published by the state government, is 61 pages and examines the lieutenant governor's conduct since he took office in January 2026.

According to the report, Caldwell made romantic advances toward a friend of a state employee and, after the woman rejected him, made a sexually explicit comment directed at the employee.

The document also found two violations of state ethics rules. The first relates to personal guests that Caldwell brought to events. According to investigators, some of these guests were admitted without prior authorization and without the lieutenant governor reimbursing the cost of the tickets. The report notes that this practice continued even after Caldwell received warnings and training on the applicable rules.

The second involves a state employee with whom Caldwell was in a romantic relationship. According to the investigation, he used his official email and lobbied officials in another department to secure a promotion for her without disclosing the relationship.

Just one day after the report's publication, Governor Sherrill publicly called for Caldwell's resignation, giving him until Friday, September 25.

"I hold everyone in my Administration to the highest ethical standard. 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 wrote on her X account.

"These violations substantiated in the investigation reflect a pattern of behavior that does not meet the standards of this Administration. The ethical lapses persisted despite multiple warnings and training. The substantiated finding of sexual harassment is extremely troubling," she added.

What did Lieutenant Governor Caldwell say?

According to the New Jersey Globe, Caldwell denied the allegations in a letter sent in May to the state's ethics director. In it, he said he had never asked out, flirted with, or romantically pursued any woman while serving as lieutenant governor and secretary of state.

What would happen if Caldwell does not resign?

Since Caldwell was elected on the same ticket as Sherrill in 2025, the governor cannot simply fire him as she would an appointed official. If he does not resign, one avenue provided by the state Constitution is impeachment, which requires a majority of the State Assembly to bring charges and a two-thirds majority of the Senate to convict him and remove him from office.