New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Friday her embattled second-in-command — Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell — has resigned amid allegations that he made female members of his staff uncomfortable, and was the subject of a sexual harassment complaint that was substantiated by investigators.
“I gave the lieutenant governor until today to resign,” Sherrill said at a press conference Friday. “He submitted his resignation to me this afternoon, which I accepted.”
Caldwell denied the allegations but investigators did not find his denial credible, according to a 61-page report released Thursday night. That same night, Caldwell released a defiant statement questioning the validity and thoroughness of the investigation.
Several key Democratic lawmakers as well as members of the state’s Republican minority nonetheless called for his resignation Friday morning.
A statement issued by 11 Black New Jersey politicians signaled Caldwell’s resignation, saying that his tenure has become a distraction.
“By choosing to step down and ending this controversy, he has put the interests of the people of New Jersey and the work of our state ahead of himself,” the statement read.
It was signed by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Assemblymember Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, Democratic state committee chair LeRoy Jones and eight other former officials and community leaders.
Messages to lawyers representing Caldwell were not immediately returned.
Under the state constitution, Sherrill has 45 days to appoint Caldwell’s replacement from the date of his resignation.
Caldwell departs fewer than nine months into the job. Sherrill tapped the former president of Centenary University to join her ticket for governor in July of last year. She and Caldwell were sworn into office in January this year after winning a convincing 14-point victory over Republican Jack Ciattarelli in the November 2025 election.
Caldwell proved himself an asset to the campaign and became a staple on the trail after he was selected. He brought education credentials, diversity, and, as the son of a reverend who marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a strong civil rights legacy.
Sherrill's victory handed Democrats their third consecutive term in New Jersey’s highest political office for the first time in over 60 years. Sherrill also became only the second female governor in the state’s history.
The scandal surrounding Caldwell comes as the administration deals with a separate investigation into how thousands of noncitizens in New Jersey were erroneously registered to vote during the previous Murphy administration. Prior to his resignation, Caldwell also served as secretary of state, an office that oversees the Division of Elections — the agency responsible for maintaining the state’s voter rolls — though the error occurred before he assumed the position.
Caldwell, 66, was the first Black president of Centenary University in Hackettstown, New Jersey. Caldwell, a resident of New Brunswick, served on the school board in the Middlesex County town for 26 years. He also previously served as deputy commissioner of the state Department of Community Affairs under former Gov. Jim McGreevey.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
