Dale Caldwell, New Jersey's lieutenant governor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill's running mate, resigned on Friday following an ethics report that detailed allegations of sexual harassment. The investigation by Lowenstein Sandler concluded that Caldwell made inappropriate romantic advances toward a female staffer’s friend, told the young staff member derogatory remarks about her age and sex, and sought promotions for employees with whom he had undisclosed romantic relationships. Sherrill immediately called for his resignation upon the report's release, citing a pattern of behavior that violated state policies and undermined trust within their administration.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-25,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On Thursday, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill called for the resignation of her handpicked Lieutenant Governor, Dale Caldwell, after an independent investigation found he had violated state ethics rules and committed sexual harassment. The report detailed incidents including making a sexually charged comment to a female staffer when she rejected his romantic advances towards her younger friend. Investigators concluded this constituted harassment and was not credible for Caldwell to deny. Additionally, the probe uncovered ethical violations such as bringing personal guests to events without proper clearance or payment and attempting to secure promotions for state employees with whom he had romantic relationships.
Sherrill gave Caldwell until Friday to resign, which he did on that day amid mounting pressure from her administration following the release of the report. Caldwell maintained his innocence but resigned to avoid further distraction, despite Sherrill calling his behavior "extremely troubling" and stating it undermined organizational trust. The resignation came as a surprise given the high praise Sherrill had previously heaped upon Caldwell during their campaign.
This development highlights internal administration conflicts that can arise from such allegations, particularly in New Jersey where the governor lacks direct power to remove an independently elected lieutenant governor but can still strip them of responsibilities and seek impeachment through legislative action.
Written for “New Jersey Lt Governor Resigns Over H…” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 12 other(s) covering the same event.
Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell (D-NJ) handed in his resignation letter on Friday, after Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) called for him to step down following an investigation into his alleged inappropriate sexual misconduct.
asserted
him → hand → misconduct
Caldwell, Sherrill’s running mate in the 2025 New Jersey gubernatorial election, resigned after an ethics report alleging he “engaged in serious, repeated violations of state policy and failed to uphold the responsibilities of his office” was made public.
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he → resign → office
Caldwell has denied the allegations against him, but an investigation by Lowenstein Sandler, the law firm of former state Attorney General Christopher Porrino, found his denial had little merit.
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denial → deny → merit
The investigation’s findings included that Caldwell “made a romantic advance” toward a staffer’s female friend.
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Caldwell → include → friend
When he was rejected, he allegedly told the young female staffer, “You young women are looking for young sperm.”
uncertain
women → reject → sperm
The independent investigators wrote in the report that they found Caldwell’s behavior “constituted sexual harassment, and was derogatory or demeaning in reference to the staffer’s sex.”
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behavior → write → sex
Additionally, the investigation claimed Caldwell sought a promotion for an employee with whom he had a romantic relationship, but did not disclose the nature of their relationship when seeking the promotion.
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he → claim → promotion
The report into the allegations against Caldwell was made public on Thursday and was quickly met with Sherrill’s calls for him to step down.
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him → make → calls
“These violations substantiated in the investigation reflect a pattern of behavior that does not meet the standards of this Administration,” Sherrill said.
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Sherrill → substantiate → Administration
“The ethical lapses persisted despite multiple warnings and trainings.
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lapses → persist → warnings
The substantiated finding of sexual harassment is extremely troubling.
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finding → substantiate → harassment
I’ve seen firsthand how a hostile culture can undermine everyone’s ability to succeed.
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culture → see → ability
It’s insidious and ruptures the trust within an organization.
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It → ’ → organization
However, Caldwell’s attorneys disputed the legitimacy of the investigation, calling it an “unnecessarily protracted and one-sided process that lacked the requisite due process that should be afforded every citizen of this state.”
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that → dispute → state
Thomas Calcagni of Calcagni & Kanefsky, who is representing Caldwell, said his client was not allowed to address all the allegations brought against him, nor was he offered the opportunity to call witnesses with firsthand knowledge of the circumstances, according to Insider NJ.
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he → represent → NJ
“It appears, in fact, that even those who voluntarily came forward with first-hand accounts were entirely excluded from the process,” Calcagni said.
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Calcagni → appear → process
“These due process concerns, coupled with breaches of confidentiality throughout the process, render any findings palpably deficient and create a dangerous and challenging precedent for anyone who wishes to defend against anonymous conjecture and character assassination.”
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who → couple → conjecture
Sherrill picked Caldwell as her running mate in July 2025 and named him as her administration’s secretary of state in December 2025 after the pair won their November election by a double-digit margin.
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pair → pick → margin
With Caldwell handing in his resignation, Sherrill must fill his post in 45 days, but a special election is not required, nor is New Jersey Senate confirmation of her appointee.
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confirmation → hand → appointee
Because Caldwell also served as secretary of state, which oversees elections, Sherrill will also need to fill that office prior to the November elections.
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Sherrill → serve → elections
Caldwell served in two positions, but Sherrill could appoint two separate individuals to replace him in each role.
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Sherrill → serve → role
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