New Jersey governor Mikie Sherrill is demanding that Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell resign after an independent investigation found violations involving sexual harassment, state ethics rules and workplace conduct. Sherrill gave Caldwell until Friday, September 25, to step down after the release of a 61-page investigative report.
The investigation was conducted by Lowenstein Sandler after the governor’s Chief Ethics Officer received an anonymous complaint in May. Former New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino led the inquiry. Investigators examined allegations involving Caldwell’s treatment of women, his handling of a romantic relationship with a state employee and his admission of personal guests to ticketed events.
As of the latest confirmed reports, Caldwell has not resigned. His attorneys have disputed the investigation’s conclusions and said they disagree with all three findings. The dispute means the resignation demand remains an active issue in New Jersey government as the Friday deadline approaches.
Why Gov. Mikie Sherrill is demanding Caldwell’s resignation
Sherrill said the investigation found that Caldwell engaged in “serious, repeated violations” of state policy and failed to meet the responsibilities associated with his office. She also said the findings showed ethical problems continued despite warnings and training.
The governor specifically pointed to the finding of sexual harassment. The investigation concluded that Caldwell violated New Jersey’s workplace policy prohibiting discrimination after making a romantic advance toward a female staffer’s friend and later making a sexual comment after the advance was rejected.
Sherrill said the findings represented conduct that did not meet the standards of her administration. She also emphasized that public officials must follow workplace and ethics requirements regardless of their position.
Her demand came immediately after the investigative report was completed and released publicly. The timing gave Caldwell a short period to decide whether to leave the lieutenant governorship voluntarily.
What the investigation found about sexual harassment
The most serious finding involved an encounter between Caldwell, a female staffer and the staffer’s friend.
Investigators found credible evidence that Caldwell made a romantic advance toward the friend. After the advance was rejected, the report concluded that Caldwell made a sexually suggestive comment to the staffer referring to young women and “young sperm.”
The investigation determined that the comment was sexual in nature and constituted sexual harassment under the state workplace policy. Investigators also concluded that the incident affected how the staffer interacted with Caldwell at work.
The staffer reportedly attempted to distance herself from Caldwell and sought to avoid traveling with him when possible. The investigative report treated those reactions as relevant evidence concerning the effect of the conduct.
Caldwell denied making the statement. His attorneys later argued that the evidence did not establish a violation and disputed the investigators’ conclusions.
The report also described other comments and behavior involving women. Witnesses recalled Caldwell talking about finding a “first lady,” while another staff member said he asked her to help him find one and continued pressing the matter after she declined.
Investigators also examined a comment in which Caldwell reportedly said that walking with two female staffers, one on each side, made him look good. Caldwell disputed the interpretation of that remark and said similar comments had been made about men.
Not every allegation was substantiated. Investigators specifically noted that they could not establish the existence or contents of a rumored inappropriate text message and excluded that allegation from their findings.
The ethics issue involving a state employee
The investigation also found that Caldwell violated state ethics requirements by seeking a promotion for a state employee with whom he had a romantic relationship.
Investigators found that Caldwell communicated with officials about the employee’s potential promotion without initially disclosing the romantic relationship. The report says he first raised the matter and later made another promotion request after officials had already raised concerns about the situation.
One particularly significant incident occurred on May 26, four days after Caldwell was formally notified that he was the subject of an investigation. The report says he used his state email account to contact another executive-branch official and suggest that the employee receive a promotion.
Investigators concluded that New Jersey ethics rules prohibit an official from participating in an official matter involving a person with whom that official has a romantic relationship.
The employee did not receive the promotion and no longer works in state government, according to the investigation as reported by New Jersey media.
Caldwell disputed the characterization of his conduct. His attorneys argued that forwarding or recommending a qualified employee is different from using public office to secure a benefit. Investigators, however, concluded that the ethics rules applied because Caldwell used his official position while failing to disclose the relationship.
Questions over free admission to ticketed events
The investigation also examined Caldwell’s attendance at public events with personal guests.
Investigators identified seven ticketed events between February 19 and May 23 where Caldwell reportedly brought one or more guests who entered without payment or reimbursement. Ticket prices for the events ranged from $65 to $300.
The events included appearances connected to cultural and educational organizations. Among those identified were the State Opera of New Jersey, Crossroads Theatre Company and a Rowan University scholarship luncheon.
Caldwell told investigators that he did not fully understand the applicable rules. He characterized the issue as unclear and denied that bringing guests constituted wrongdoing.
After the investigation began, Caldwell reimbursed the state $175 for one guest’s attendance at a Morven Museum & Garden event. Investigators nevertheless found that the broader conduct violated applicable ethics requirements.
The report also said Caldwell continued bringing guests after staff had warned him about the need to provide advance notice and handle reimbursement appropriately.
Caldwell had received warnings before the investigation
The investigative report did not describe the May complaint as the first time concerns about Caldwell’s conduct had reached senior officials.
According to the report, concerns about his interactions with women surfaced within the administration before the formal investigation began. A senior official raised concerns in March, and Caldwell was directly warned about what was described as a concerning pattern in his approaches toward women.
Another discussion took place on May 1 following ethics training. Senior administration officials again raised concerns about Caldwell’s behavior and warned him that his conduct was receiving attention.
The formal anonymous complaint was dated May 6 and reached the governor’s Chief Ethics Officer on May 14. Caldwell was formally notified that he was under investigation on May 22.
The report therefore documents a sequence of warnings, training and counseling before the investigation reached its final findings.
Investigators also found that some conduct continued after warnings had been issued. That included the handling of personal guests at events and the promotion request involving the state employee with whom Caldwell had a romantic relationship.
Who is Dale Caldwell?
Dale Caldwell is 66 and serves as New Jersey’s lieutenant governor and secretary of state. He became lieutenant governor alongside Sherrill after their victory in the 2025 gubernatorial election. Both were sworn into office on January 20, 2026.
Before joining the Sherrill administration, Caldwell held leadership positions in higher education, government, nonprofit organizations and education. He previously served as president of Centenary University and spent years involved in public service in New Jersey.
Sherrill selected Caldwell as her running mate during the 2025 campaign. Their election made Caldwell the state’s lieutenant governor at the beginning of 2026.
The current controversy has therefore emerged less than a year into the administration’s first term.
How Caldwell has responded to the findings
Caldwell has denied wrongdoing and challenged the conclusions reached by the outside investigators.
His attorneys released a statement after Sherrill called for his resignation. They said they “firmly disagree” with the three findings and argued that a complete review of the evidence would not support the conclusions in the report.
Caldwell previously told investigators that several allegations were false or misleading. He also denied pursuing women romantically while conducting official business.
The investigation nevertheless concluded that the workplace-policy violation and the two ethics violations were substantiated. The findings represent the conclusions of the investigators, while Caldwell’s denial remains part of the public record.
That distinction is important because the report is an investigative finding rather than a criminal conviction.
What happens if Caldwell refuses to resign?
Sherrill has demanded that Caldwell resign, but the governor cannot simply treat the lieutenant governor’s position like an ordinary appointed cabinet post.
Caldwell was elected lieutenant governor with Sherrill. New Jersey law therefore creates a different process for removing him from that office than for removing an ordinary executive-branch appointee.
New Jersey Monitor reported that Caldwell can leave the lieutenant governorship by resigning or could be removed through impeachment with a two-thirds vote of the state Senate.
His separate role as secretary of state raises additional legal questions. That position has different rules from the elected lieutenant governorship, and legal questions remain over the governor’s authority concerning removal of cabinet officials.
For now, the immediate issue is whether Caldwell accepts Sherrill’s demand by the September 25 deadline.
Why the resignation deadline matters
Sherrill announced the resignation demand on Thursday evening, September 24. She gave Caldwell until Friday to act.
The governor’s announcement followed the release of the completed investigation. Her office said the investigation was initiated by the Chief Ethics Officer and conducted by former Attorney General Christopher Porrino.
Sherrill said the investigation was intended to examine the allegations fairly while protecting the privacy of the people involved.
As of the latest verified reports available for this article, there had been no confirmed announcement that Caldwell had resigned. Reports published late Thursday and early Friday continued to describe Sherrill’s demand as an ongoing situation.
What the latest findings mean for the New Jersey governor’s administration
The findings put a senior member of Sherrill’s administration at the center of an ethics and workplace controversy.
The governor has framed the matter around standards for public officials and employees. She said her administration expects officials to follow state ethics requirements, workplace policies and the administration’s Code of Conduct.
The investigation also provides a detailed timeline of concerns that preceded the formal complaint. It found that Caldwell received warnings and training before investigators substantiated the allegations.
At the same time, Caldwell and his legal team continue to reject the findings. That response remains an important part of the developing story as New Jersey officials consider what happens next.
The immediate question is whether Caldwell will voluntarily leave the lieutenant governorship by the deadline set by Sherrill. If he does not, the state could face a more complicated constitutional and political process concerning his future in office.
The latest status
The latest confirmed development is that Gov. Mikie Sherrill has called on Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell to resign after the investigation substantiated sexual harassment and two categories of ethics violations. She set Friday, September 25, as the deadline for his resignation.
Caldwell has disputed the findings through his attorneys, and there was no confirmed resignation announcement in the latest reports reviewed for this article. The situation remains active as New Jersey officials await Caldwell’s response to the governor’s demand.
Readers following the New Jersey governor’s administration can watch for further confirmed developments as the resignation deadline unfolds.