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TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey ’s Democratic lieutenant governor resigned Friday, pushed out by the state’s governor after less than a year in office over accusations of ethics lapses and inappropriate behavior with women.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill, also a Democrat, had given Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell until Friday to resign, seeking to end a scandal that threatened to be a drag on her fledgling administration.
Republicans have hammered Sherrill for weeks about the investigation into Caldwell, who served as acting governor in her absence. He also oversaw elections as New Jersey’s secretary of state, and his resignation comes weeks ahead of midterm elections that will decide who controls Congress.
At a news conference announcing the resignation, Sherrill said she was committed to changing what she called a longstanding problem in state government of people turning a blind eye to sexual harassment.
“There has been a culture in Trenton, probably since the birth of our nation, to sweep this under the rug,” she said.
“That is not the kind of government I’m running,” she added. “When I say there is a culture change taking place, I mean it.”
Caldwell’s resignation was far from certain
Sherrill picked Caldwell, a Methodist pastor and former president of Centenary University, as her running mate last year. They took office in January, but within four months, Caldwell had become the subject of an anonymous complaint about his behavior with women.
She called for him to resign on Thursday after a law firm she hired concluded he behaved inappropriately around women.
Caldwell has disputed the allegations and at first showed no signs he would leave office willingly. In a statement, his attorney Thomas Calcagni said Caldwell stepped down in order to end a “campaign to discredit his character,” and said they are exploring legal options to challenge the report.
In New Jersey, a governor can’t fire the lieutenant governor, but Caldwell could have been impeached and removed by the legislature.
Sherrill faces questions about her judgement
Republican state Sen. Kristin Corrado on Friday questioned Sherrill’s judgment for allowing Caldwell to serve as acting governor when she left the state, even as his conduct was being investigated.
“New Jersey residents deserve leadership, transparency, and answers from their government,” she said. “So far, we have gotten none.”
The resignation probably won’t move the needle much in New Jersey’s midterms, said Matt Hale, a political science professor at Seton Hall University, but it gives Republicans fresh ammunition against the governor.
Still, he said, Democrats can contrast Caldwell’s swift dismissal with the Trump administration’s attitude toward controversy.
“This wouldn’t even make page six news if it was at the federal level,” Hale said.
The allegations went beyond inappropriate comments
The law firm’s report released Thursday said Caldwell committed several violations of state policy. It said Caldwell, 66, made an advance toward a staff member’s friend and when he was rebuffed told the staffer, “you young women are looking for young sperm.”
The report said Caldwell had tried to get a promotion for a state employee he was dating and brought personal guests to the opera and other ticketed events without paying for them, as required by ethics rules.
In a letter included in the report, Caldwell said he suspected his relationships with women were being subjected to extra scrutiny because he was a single Black man.
Caldwell’s lawyer said his client “categorically denies” making the sperm statement but acknowledged that Caldwell had recommended the woman for a promotion, although he denied ordering anyone to promote her. Caldwell denied other claims, including that he gave out his business cards to women for inappropriate reasons.
Sherrill said she spoke and texted with Caldwell in recent days and that he decided to resign because he cared about their agenda and the challenges facing the state. She wouldn’t say whether he expressed any remorse.
“This (resignation) might hurt her with some Black Democratic men,” said Richard Bensel, a government professor at Cornell University, “but I suspect that will be more than compensated by the approval of Black Democratic women.”
Until a new lieutenant governor is named, state Senate President Nicholas Scutari will step in as acting governor if Sherrill is away or unable to perform her duties. The secretary of state roll will be filled by the acting state comptroller, Shirley Emehelu.
Lieutenant governor turmoil isn’t unique to New Jersey
In neighboring New York, a similar impasse has played out over the past year between Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and her estranged Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, who launched a caustic primary challenge to unseat her only to withdraw from the race as the election neared.
Hochul is now running for reelection in November with Adrienne Adams, the former speaker of the New York City Council, as her replacement lieutenant governor nominee.
Caldwell, the fourth lieutenant governor since the position was created in 2009, is the first to resign. But he’s hardly the first Garden State politician to be felled by scandal.
U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, who quit in the wake of his 2024 bribery conviction, and New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey, who resigned in 2004 after coming out as gay as questions swirled about him appointing his one-time lover as the state’s homeland security adviser. Both are also Democrats.
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Marcelo reported from New York.
Mike Catalini And Philip Marcelo, The Associated Press
