New Jersey governor calls on lieutenant governor to resign over ethics report

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) gave Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell (D) until Friday to resign over a new ethics report that found he violated state policy against discrimination in the workplace.

Investigators with a law firm hired by Sherrill’s office found Caldwell twice attempted to get his girlfriend promoted to a state role, made a sexually charged comment to a staff member and did not heed warnings to change his behavior.

The governor said in a statement the investigation found the lieutenant governor “engaged in serious, repeated violations of state policy and failed to uphold the responsibilities of his office.”

“I hold everyone in my Administration to the highest ethical standard,” she continued. “We all have a duty to follow our state ethics and harassment policy and our Code of Conduct. Anyone who violates these will be held accountable.”

Sherrill said it was “necessary and in the best interest of New Jersey residents” for him to step down.

“The President continues to undermine confidence in public service at the federal level,” she added. “In New Jersey, I will not accept a culture that sweeps misconduct under the rug. We have to be better than that — people expect and deserve better.”

In one instance included in the report, investigators said Caldwell “made a romantic advance” toward the female friend of one of his staffers. When this advance was rejected, he reportedly told the staffer, “You young women are looking for young sperm.”

Investigators said Caldwell denied making this comment, but they “did not find his denial credible.”

In another instance, investigators found Caldwell recommended his romantic partner for a “senior leadership position” during an ongoing ethics investigation into his behavior. The woman was not ultimately awarded a promotion or benefit after state officials pressed Caldwell about their relationship.

In a statement provided to The New York Times , Caldwell’s attorney, Thomas Calcagni, criticized the investigation as one-sided and said it “lacked the requisite due process.”

The Hill has reached out to Calcagni about whether his client will heed the governor’s call to resign.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) supported Sherrill’s statement and called the findings in the ethics report “totally unacceptable” in a post online .

“For the sake of our state Lt Governor Caldwell should resign,” he wrote on the social platform X.