New Jersey Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell (D) has resigned, one day after Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) called on him to do so after an independent investigation found that he sexually harassed a woman and violated state ethics rules.
At a news conference Friday, Sherrill said that Caldwell had submitted his resignation to her in the afternoon and that she had accepted it.
“I feel deeply that it is a commitment by elected officials to serve the people, not their own self-interest. To honor that commitment, public servants must abide by the highest ethical standards,” Sherrill said. “Those standards apply to everyone, regardless of their title.”
Sherrill said she would move “swiftly and thoughtfully” to choose a new lieutenant governor within the next 45 days.
“We continue to forcefully challenge the report,” Thomas R. Calcagni, Caldwell’s legal counsel, said in a statement, and added that his client resigned only “to put an end to the targeted campaign to discredit his character.”
Caldwell, 66, has previously denied allegations of misconduct and suggested that he was being targeted because of his race. Calcagni said that the former lieutenant governor planned to explore legal action.
A report summarizing the independent investigation said Caldwell had made a romantic advance toward a female staffer’s friend and, when rebuffed, told the staffer, “You young women are looking for young sperm.” Caldwell’s comment caused the staffer to try to distance herself from him at work and “constituted sexual harassment,” the report said. Caldwell told investigators he did not make the remark, according to the report.
The report also said there was “credible evidence” that Caldwell violated state ethics rules by bringing personal guests to ticketed events without advance clearance and by trying, on multiple occasions, to secure a promotion for a state employee with whom he had a romantic relationship. Caldwell told investigators that he never asked anyone on a date, “hit on,” or romantically pursued anyone while conducting official business, and argued he did not violate ethics rules when advocating for his girlfriend, according to the report.
In a statement Thursday, Sherrill said Caldwell’s ethical lapses persisted despite multiple warnings and trainings.
“There has been a culture and trend, probably since the birth of our nation, to sweep this under the rug,” Sherrill said Friday. “That is not the kind of government I’m running. When I say there is a culture change taking place, I mean it.”
Though the investigation of Caldwell became public earlier this month, it began in May after New Jersey’s chief ethics officer received an anonymous letter outlining allegations against the lieutenant governor. Caldwell was formally notified of the investigation on May 22, according to the report.
The New Jersey governor has considerable power, including the ability to appoint most positions in state government. Sherrill appointed a former state attorney general, Christopher Porrino, to run the investigation into Caldwell.
If Caldwell had not resigned, he would have needed to be impeached by a majority of the state’s General Assembly and a two-thirds majority vote by the state Senate to be removed from office.
Under New Jersey law, the lieutenant governor serves as acting governor when the governor is out of state. Sherrill has in recent days canceled what was expected to be a busy political travel schedule, including an appearance Thursday at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin and the Cap Times Idea Fest in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday with Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) and Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Michigan).
Like two other New Jersey lieutenant governors did in the past, Caldwell also served as New Jersey’s secretary of state. Sherrill said Friday she had named the acting state comptroller, Shirley Emehelu, as acting secretary of state.
Sherrill said it was important to her to fill the secretary of state role first because the midterm elections are about five weeks away. President Donald Trump has unsuccessfully tried to take control of New Jersey’s voter rolls and criticized the state’s Democratic leaders after a they revealed this summer that hundreds of noncitizens were registered to vote because of a software glitch.
Emehelu “has the judgment to run these elections and the strength to stand up to Trump’s attacks on voting,” Sherrill said. “I have full faith that Shirley and the team at the Department of State will make sure all eligible New Jerseyans can make their voices heard this November.”
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