Caldwell exits secretary of state role weeks before November midterms
New Jersey Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell resigned Friday, one day after Gov. Mikie Sherrill called for him to step down in the wake of an independent investigation that concluded he committed sexual harassment and violated state ethics rules. Sherrill said she would name a successor within 45 days.
His resignation also removes him from his post as New Jersey’s top election officer weeks before the November midterms, with Acting State Comptroller Shirley Emehelu tapped to serve as acting secretary of state.
“He submitted his resignation to me this afternoon, which I accepted,” Sherrill, a fellow Democrat, said at a news conference Friday. The resignation came a day after the report’s release and Sherrill’s Thursday statement calling for Caldwell to leave office.
The probe was led by former New Jersey Attorney General Chris Porrino, who was hired after an anonymous letter sent in May flagged concerns about Caldwell’s conduct. The report, released Thursday, detailed what it described as a pattern of behavior that included a sexually inappropriate comment to a female staffer.
According to the report, Caldwell made a romantic advance toward the staffer’s friend and, after being rebuffed, told the staffer that “you young women are looking for young sperm.” His conduct “constituted sexual harassment, and was derogatory or demeaning,” the report found. Caldwell denied making the comment.
The investigation also concluded Caldwell violated state ethics rules by attempting on multiple occasions to secure a promotion for a state employee with whom he had an undisclosed romantic relationship. The employee did not receive the promotion and no longer works for the state, according to the report. Caldwell was also found to have violated ethics rules by bringing guests to ticketed events without paying.
Caldwell’s attorney disputed the findings Thursday, saying Caldwell had not been provided a meaningful opportunity to address each of the allegations. The claims amounted to “anonymous conjecture and character assassination,” the attorney added.
Sherrill defended the investigation and pushed back on Caldwell’s assertion that he was denied a meaningful chance to challenge the allegations. “I think it lays out a pattern and practice of long-term concerning behavior, multiple ethics trainings, multiple ethics violations, substantiated claims of sexual harassment and statements by the Lt. Gov in the report,” Sherrill said. “So obviously he was fully involved in this as well.”
A spokesperson for Caldwell did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
Caldwell, a United Methodist pastor, served as president of Centenary University before Sherrill chose him for the lieutenant governorship. He simultaneously served as lieutenant governor and secretary of state.