Governor cites voting access 39 days before midterms after Caldwell resigns
Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Friday named Acting Comptroller Shirley Emehelu as New Jersey’s acting lieutenant governor, saying she tapped Emehelu to ensure “all eligible New Jerseyans can make their voices heard” with 39 days remaining until the midterm elections. “Shirley is a veteran of the US Department of Justice and the New Jersey attorney general’s office. She has the judgment to run these elections and the strength to stand up to Trump’s attacks on voting,” Sherrill added at a press conference in Trenton, the state capital.
Emehelu takes over from Dale Caldwell, 66, who resigned from office earlier in the day after a 61-page investigative report concluded he sexually harassed a female staffer and violated state ethics rules. The resignation came one day after Sherrill, a Democrat, called on Caldwell to step down. After Sherrill announced the report’s findings and called for Caldwell to resign, it was unclear whether or not he would step down. In New Jersey, the lieutenant governor also serves as secretary of state, the state’s chief elections officer.
Sherrill initiated the investigation in May after receiving an anonymous letter accusing Caldwell of “bringing uninvited female guests to events while traveling using taxpayer funds” and “hitting on women at functions.” Investigators ultimately concluded that aspects of the allegations were credible.
The 61-page report said it found credible evidence that Caldwell made romantic advances toward a female staffer’s friend, tried to secure a promotion for his girlfriend and gave tickets to personal guests without reimbursement.
According to the report, Caldwell made a romantic advance toward a female staffer’s friend and then made a “derogatory or demeaning reference” about women after his advances were rebuffed. In one instance, Caldwell allegedly told the staffer that women like them were ambitious and successful and needed a man in a position to help them, “but you young women are looking for young sperm.”
Investigators also found that Caldwell advocated for the promotion of his girlfriend, a state employee, to a “senior leadership position.” Caldwell acknowledged that he did not disclose the nature of his relationship with the state employee until he was confronted, and he continued pressing for her promotion even after being informed he was under investigation. The girlfriend ultimately did not receive the promotion and no longer works in state government.
Credible evidence also determined Caldwell brought at least three personal guests, including his girlfriend, to ticketed events, in his capacity as lieutenant governor, without advance authorization or payment.
At Friday’s press conference in Trenton, Sherrill framed Caldwell’s departure in terms of what she called a “culture of silence.”
“We can no longer tolerate the culture of silence, sweeping things under the rug or kicking cans down the road,” Sherrill said. “New Jerseyans deserve fairness and they deserve accountability.”
A lawyer for Caldwell initially called the investigation “one-sided” and said the report’s findings were “palpably deficient and create a dangerous and challenging precedent for anyone who wishes to defend against anonymous conjecture and character assassination.” Caldwell’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
Sherrill has 45 days to name a permanent replacement for Caldwell.
The New Jersey Globe first reported Caldwell’s resignation.