New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill has demanded her lieutenant governor resign by Friday after an independent investigation found he sexually harassed women and abused his office.
Sherrill, 53, issued the ultimatum Thursday evening following the release of a 61-page report detailing multiple violations by Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell, 66, whom she had personally selected as her running mate just months earlier. The probe, led by former New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino and conducted by law firm Lowenstein Sandler, concluded that Caldwell’s behavior “constituted sexual harassment and was derogatory or demeaning.”
“I’m calling for his resignation and giving him until tomorrow to do so,” Sherrill declared in a Thursday evening statement.
“I hold everyone in my Administration to the highest ethical standard. We all have a duty to follow our state ethics and harassment policy and our Code of Conduct. Anyone who violates these will be held accountable.”
The Democratic governor’s office launched the investigation in May after receiving an anonymous letter accusing Caldwell of inappropriate conduct toward women. The inquiry cost taxpayers approximately $50,000 and was kept confidential until recent weeks, when allegations were leaked to the public. Sherrill had refused to confirm or deny media reports about the probe until her Thursday announcement, leaving anxious Democrats without answers as the investigation unfolded.
One of the most disturbing incidents detailed in the report occurred in April 2026, when Caldwell approached a staffer’s much younger friend at an official event. After being rejected, he lashed out in his state vehicle, explicitly telling a female aide that “you young women are looking for young sperm,” according to the report.
The investigation also found Caldwell used his taxpayer-funded position to obtain expensive event tickets for romantic interests, pulled strings to secure a cushy state promotion for his secret girlfriend, and directed his own aides to find him a “first lady.”
Caldwell’s attorney pushed back against the findings in a statement to NJ.com, claiming “this unnecessary protected and one-sided process lacked the requisite due process that should be afforded every citizen of this state.”
The scandal comes just seven months after Sherrill and Caldwell took office, and represents a stunning reversal for a running mate Sherrill had once praised effusively. In July 2025, when she tapped Caldwell to run against Republican Jack Ciattarelli, she lauded him as a “voice for the voiceless” and someone who is “committed to New Jersey.”
“I’m proud to select Dale Caldwell as my Lieutenant Governor running mate because we share a commitment to public service and challenging the status quo,” Sherrill said at the time.
“Dale is the son of civil rights leaders who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In Selma — and he’s followed in his parents’ footsteps and he has always been a voice for the voiceless.”
New Jersey Republicans had already demanded Caldwell be placed on leave while the investigation proceeded. GOP state Senate leader Anthony Bucco wrote on X on Sept. 4 that “considering the complex duties of his position, Lt. Gov. Caldwell should temporarily step down from his duties as Lieutenant Governor.”
Sherrill has not indicated what steps she will take if Caldwell refuses to resign by her Friday deadline.