Gov. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey has enlisted an outside law firm to investigate whether the state’s lieutenant governor, Dale G. Caldwell, engaged in inappropriate behavior with women, according to two Democrats familiar with the ethics inquiry.
Dr. Caldwell, a Methodist pastor, was serving as the president of Centenary University when Ms. Sherrill, a Democrat, tapped him as her running mate last year. The two were elected by a 14-point margin.
Christopher Porrino, who was the state’s attorney general under Gov. Chris Christie, is leading the inquiry for Ms. Sherrill, according to the two Democrats, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the sensitive personnel matter.
A spokeswoman for Dr. Caldwell, 66, referred questions to the governor’s office.
The governor’s office neither confirmed nor denied the existence of an investigation into Dr. Caldwell, which was first reported by The New Jersey Globe.
“The governor would take any reports of inappropriate behavior or misconduct extremely seriously and expects our public officials to hold themselves to the highest standards,” Ms. Sherrill’s spokesman, Sean Higgins, said in an email.
Mr. Porrino, who also worked as chief counsel to Mr. Christie, a Republican, runs the litigation department at Lowenstein Sandler, a politically connected firm based in New Jersey.
In addition to his role as lieutenant governor, Dr. Caldwell also serves as New Jersey’s secretary of state and stands in as governor when Ms. Sherrill leaves the state. He was acting governor as recently as last week.
As secretary of state, Dr. Caldwell is responsible for overseeing elections in New Jersey.
In 2023, Dr. Caldwell became the first Black president of Centenary University, in Hackettstown, N.J., and he served for 25 years on the board of education in New Brunswick, where he lives.
He also spent two decades as president of the Educational Services Commission of New Jersey, which operates schools for children with autism and at-risk behaviors.
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