New Jersey Democratic Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell resigned after an ethics and sexual harassment investigation found that he had broken state conduct rules.
The move came after New Jersey Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who announced the resignation on Friday, publicly asked Caldwell to leave his post.
“He submitted his resignation to me this afternoon, which I accepted,” Sherrill said during a press conference at which Caldwell was not present, per a report from NBC News.
Sherrill had issued a statement on Thursday saying that Caldwell “engaged in serious, repeated violations of state policy and failed to uphold the responsibilities of his office.”
BREAKING: New Jersey Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell has resigned after an independent investigation into his misconduct and sexual harassment.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill says the investigation found “serious, repeated violations of state policy,” including ethical lapses and a substantiated… pic.twitter.com/XfDA4wV234
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 25, 2026
“I’m calling for his resignation and giving him until tomorrow to do so,” she added, calling the resignation “necessary and in the best interest of New Jersey residents.”
A law firm hired by the state of New Jersey found evidence that Caldwell had broken ethics rules through his reported sexual harassment of young female staffers.
The report said Caldwell violated ethics standards “when he brought guests to ticketed events without payment or reimbursement,” as well as “when he sought to obtain a promotion for a state employee with whom he had a romantic relationship.”
Caldwell also allegedly commented “to a female staffer” that young women want “young sperm.”
NBC News reported that attorneys for Caldwell disputed the claims in the report.
“This unnecessarily protracted and one-sided process lacked the requisite due process that should be afforded every citizen of this state,” Thomas Calcagni, an attorney for Caldwell, said in a statement.
Sherrill responded to the remarks by saying the report was “very thorough.”
“It lays out exactly what the investigation looked into,” she added.
Sherrill allowed Caldwell to serve as acting governor on multiple occasions after the investigation started, a decision she defended.
“As a former federal prosecutor, it is important to me that everyone have a fair hearing,” she remarked.
“Once I saw those complaints, once I saw the findings of that investigation, I acted quickly and asked for the resignation of the lieutenant governor.”
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