New Jersey Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell, a Democrat, stepped down Friday after an independent investigation concluded he had violated the state’s ethics and harassment policies, prompting calls for his ouster from within his own party.
Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill confirmed the resignation during a Friday press conference.
“He submitted his resignation to me this afternoon, which I accepted,” Sherrill said.
The departure came just one day after Sherrill publicly demanded that Caldwell leave office. On Thursday, the governor released a 61-page ethics report laying out the findings of an independent probe into the lieutenant governor’s conduct. The investigation examined allegations of sexual harassment and violations of the state’s workplace discrimination policy.
The firm the state hired to carry out the investigation said it uncovered credible evidence that Caldwell’s behavior ran afoul of workplace policy.
According to the report, Caldwell allegedly made a sexually charged comment to a staffer. Investigators also said he twice tried to secure a promotion for a state employee with whom he was romantically involved.
The findings did not stop there. Investigators determined that Caldwell brought personal guests to ticketed events without paying for their admission or reimbursing the cost.
Sherrill gave Caldwell a Friday deadline to resign, saying he had “engaged in serious, repeated violations of state policy and failed to uphold the responsibilities of his office.”
“The Lieutenant Governor’s resignation is necessary and in the best interest of New Jersey residents,” the governor said.
One of the most striking incidents described in the report involved a romantic advance Caldwell allegedly made toward a female friend of a staffer. After the woman turned him down, Caldwell allegedly told the staffer, “You young women are looking for young sperm.”
Caldwell, who also serves as New Jersey’s secretary of state and oversees the state’s elections, denied making the remark. Investigators, however, said they did not find his denial credible.
Caldwell’s legal team pushed back hard. His attorney, Thomas Calcagni, disputed the investigation’s conclusions on Thursday, arguing the process was one-sided and did not give Caldwell a fair opportunity to respond to the allegations against him.
The resignation creates an immediate shake-up at the top of the state’s election apparatus at a critical moment. Sherrill announced Friday that acting state Comptroller Shirley Emehelu will step in as acting secretary of state, just weeks before the midterm election.
Caldwell’s exit also leaves the lieutenant governor’s office vacant. Under New Jersey’s succession rules, the state Senate president is next in line to assume the governor’s duties whenever the governor is out of state or otherwise unable to serve. That role now falls to state Sen. Nicholas Scutari, a Democrat.
The swift sequence of events, from the release of the report Thursday to Caldwell’s resignation Friday, marks a dramatic fall for one of New Jersey’s highest-ranking officials. It also leaves Sherrill’s administration scrambling to fill key roles as voters prepare to head to the polls.