Dale Caldwell

Introduction

Dale Caldwell is an American Methodist pastor, university president and Democratic politician serving as lieutenant governor of New Jersey and the state’s secretary of state. On September 24, 2026, Gov. Mikie Sherrill — who picked him as her running mate — publicly called on him to resign by the next day, after an independent investigation commissioned by her office concluded he sexually harassed a young female staffer and committed two ethics violations. Caldwell denies wrongdoing, and his lawyer says the investigation was one-sided and denied him due process.

Background Information

Caldwell is a Methodist pastor who served as president of Centenary University for two years before being elected lieutenant governor. Sherrill tapped him as her running mate in July 2025 for the race against Republican Jack Ciattarelli, introducing him as a “voice for the voiceless” and the son of civil rights leaders who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma. They were sworn in about seven months before the resignation demand. He is only the fourth lieutenant governor in New Jersey history — the office was created by a 2005 referendum. As lieutenant governor he is first in line to succeed the governor, and he also serves as New Jersey’s secretary of state, overseeing elections with the November midterms approaching.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Allegations. The claims in this section are allegations from an independent investigation commissioned by Gov. Sherrill’s office and conducted by the law firm Lowenstein Sandler under former New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino, which reported substantiating them. They were never admitted by Caldwell, never criminally charged, and never adjudicated in court. Caldwell denies all of them and claims the process was unnecessarily protracted and one-sided, that he was never given a meaningful opportunity to address anonymous allegations, and that the facts would exonerate him.

The investigation began in May 2026, after the state’s chief ethics officer received an anonymous complaint alleging inappropriate behavior toward women and ethics violations; Caldwell was formally notified of the probe on May 22. The report concluded that his behavior “constituted sexual harassment and was derogatory or demeaning.”

Its central finding concerned an April 2026 incident in which Caldwell, according to the report, made an advance toward a staffer’s much younger friend at an official event; after being rebuffed, he lashed out in the back of his state vehicle and told the female staffer, “you young women are looking for young sperm.” Investigators concluded the remark constituted sexual harassment and found his denial that he made it was not credible. The staffer told investigators she subsequently tried to distance herself from Caldwell at work and avoid traveling with him when possible.

The report also substantiated two ethics violations. It found Caldwell repeatedly tried to secure a promotion for a state employee with whom he had a romantic relationship: in May, four days after being notified of the investigation, he used his state email account to recommend her for a leadership position in another executive-branch department — referring to her only as “my friend” — forwarding her resume and a letter of interest without disclosing the relationship. It also found he brought one or more personal guests to seven ticketed events between February 19 and May 23 without paying for them, including an event at the State Opera of New Jersey and a Rowan University Rosa Parks Scholarship Luncheon, with tickets ranging from $65 to $300 — and that he kept doing it despite repeated training and warnings, including on May 23, one day after he was formally notified of the probe.

Public Reaction and Consequences

Sherrill announced the findings Thursday evening, saying, “The investigation found that the Lieutenant Governor engaged in serious, repeated violations of state policy and failed to uphold the responsibilities of his office,” and that she was “calling for his resignation and giving him until tomorrow to do so.” She said his “ethical lapses persisted despite multiple warnings and trainings,” called the substantiated sexual harassment finding “extremely troubling,” and said his resignation was “necessary and in the best interest of New Jersey residents.”

Caldwell’s lawyer, Thomas Calcagni, strongly disputed the three findings, saying their conclusions “go further than the evidence supports,” that the process was “unnecessarily protracted and one-sided” and “lacked the requisite due process,” and that Caldwell was not given a meaningful opportunity to address the anonymous allegations. He said Caldwell “categorically denies” making the remark about “young sperm,” adding that a state police trooper present at the time did not hear it, and acknowledged the promotion recommendation while arguing there is “a difference between failing to disclose a personal relationship when forwarding the resume of a qualified job applicant and actually using the power of public office to secure a job.” In a May response to investigators, Caldwell called the allegations false and misleading, denied hitting on or asking out women while conducting official business, and wrote that “false accusations, especially against people of color, seem to be commonplace.” State Senate Republican Leader Anthony M. Bucco called the findings “deeply disappointing” and said that if Caldwell does not resign, “the Legislature should follow the necessary protocols to resolve this matter once and for all.”

Current Status

Caldwell remains lieutenant governor but under explicit demand to resign by Friday, September 25, 2026. Sherrill cannot fire him: the position is independently elected, though she has the power to assign or remove him from certain responsibilities and could effectively sideline him from an active role in state government, and lieutenant governors can be impeached and removed by the Legislature.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The findings put the elected official who is first in line to the governorship and oversees New Jersey’s elections ahead of the November midterms under a cloud, with his own party’s governor demanding his exit and top state Republicans talking about legislative removal if he refuses. The scandal has also reached back onto Sherrill herself, whose office kept the months-long, roughly $50,000 investigation quiet until leaks forced the issue, drawing criticism from anxious Democrats even as supporters said she was protecting the victims. For Caldwell, a pastor and former university president picked as a rising figure in state Democratic politics seven months earlier, the substantiated findings against him — which he disputes — have left his tenure hanging on a one-day deadline.

Sources

• NY Post, “NJ Gov. Sherrill demands hand-picked Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell’s resignation after sex harassment probe”, Sept. 24, 2026. source
• Associated Press via WRAL, “New Jersey governor asks her No. 2 to resign over ethics and sexual harassment violations”, Sept. 25, 2026. source
• NBC News, “New Jersey’s governor calls on her lieutenant governor to resign over ethics report”, Sept. 24, 2026. source
• Fox News, “NJ Gov. Mikie Sherrill demands Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell resign over sexual harassment investigation”, Sept. 24, 2026. source