Sherrill calls for Lt. Gov. Caldwell to resign after ethics investigation

TRENTON, N.J. - Gov. Mikie Sherrill is calling for her lieutenant governor, Dale Caldwell, to resign, after the results of an internal ethics investigation found that Caldwell had "engaged in serious, repeated violations of state policy."

What we know:

State officials released the findings of their investigation into Caldwell on Thursday.

They found that Caldwell made at least one sexual comment at a staff member and twice tried to secure a promotion within the government for a woman with whom he had a relationship.

Dale is also accused of abusing his position to bring uninvited guests into ticketed events on at least seven occasions.

Dig deeper:

Staffers told investigators that Dale was "looking for a ‘first lady,’" according to the report, even assigned one of his staffers to find him a partner.

That same staffer accused Dale of making sexually inappropriate comments to her.

Dean "allegedly asked whether Staffer-1 ‘s friend was still single," the report said, and that when she told him she wasn’t interested, he "remarked… that Staffer-1, her friend, and women like them were ambitious and successful and needed a man who was in a position to help them, ‘but you young women are looking for young sperm.’"

According to the state's report, several of Dale's violations came shortly after he was reprimanded for violating other ethics rules, and even after he was told he was being investigated.

"Using his state email account, on May 26, 2026 — less than one month after being admonished and trained with regard to workplace conduct and ethics matters, and four days after the Chief Ethics Officer formally notified him of this investigation — [Dale] reached out to an official in another executive branch department and suggested the state employee receive a promotion," the report detailed. "…The LG admitted to investigators that he did not disclose the romantic nature of his relationship wit the state employee while making these promotion requests."
 

What they're saying:

In a post on social media Thursday, Sherrill said that she was calling for Dale to step down and is "giving him until tomorrow to do so."

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 trainings. The substantiated finding of sexual harassment is extremely troubling. I’ve seen firsthand how a hostile culture can undermine everyone’s ability to succeed. It’s insidious and ruptures the trust within an organization.

The Lieutenant Governor’s resignation is necessary and in the best interest of New Jersey residents," she continued.

The other side:

According to the state's report, Caldwell denied the claims and any wrongdoing when he was fist made aware of the investigation, calling the claims "false and misleading."

Caldwell has not commented publically since Sherrill's calls for him to resign.

What's next:

Sherrill has given Caldwell until tomorrow, Friday, Sept. 25, to step down.