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NJ Gov. Mikie Sherrill targets her own Lt. Gov. over allegations involving women

September 5, 2026 | | Print Article

New Jersey’s Democrat governor is reportedly investigating her Democrat lieutenant governor over his inappropriate behavior toward women.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill has even recruited former New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino to conduct the investigation into Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell.

“Porrino and one of his law partners, Shontae Gray, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney, have been interviewing complainants, including state employees, and potential witnesses,” the New Jersey Globe reported on Friday.

Thus far, Caldwell, who also serves as Secretary of State, has been cooperating.

This investigation marks a rapid 180 from the way things began when Sherrill and Caldwell were sworn in and even more so from when the two were running for office together.

The New York Post notes that, while campaigning together in 2025, Sherrill lauded Caldwell as a “voice for the voiceless” and as someone who was “committed to New Jersey.”

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“I’m proud to select Dale Caldwell as my Lieutenant Governor running mate because we share a commitment to public service and challenging the status quo,” she said at the time.

“Dale is the son of civil rights leaders who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma — and he’s followed in his parents’ footsteps and he has always been a voice for the voiceless,” she added.

Returning to the present, New Jersey Republicans are now demanding that Caldwell be placed on leave while the investigation proceeds:

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“The reported allegations against Lt. Gov. Caldwell are deeply concerning and disappointing,” Senate Republican Leader Anthony M. Bucco said in a lengthy statement. “Our elected officials must hold themselves to the highest possible standards of conduct, character, and integrity. The public deserves transparency and timely information about matters of this magnitude.”

“Considering the complex duties of his position, Lt. Gov. Caldwell should temporarily step down from his duties as Lieutenant Governor,” Bucco added. “The offices of Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State are far too important to be consumed by this level of distraction while these serious allegations are being investigated.”

Assemblyman Alex Sauickie, another Republican, further argued in a tweet that it’s highly inappropriate for Sherrill to have Caldwell serve as Acting Governor as she travels out of state, which she’s done several times.

“This is not about prejudging the outcome of that investigation,” he said in a statement. “Lieutenant Governor Caldwell is entitled to a fair process. This is about judgment, accountability, and maintaining public confidence in state government while that process is underway.”

“Until this investigation is completed, Governor Sherrill should suspend all out-of-state political travel and remain in New Jersey so that she, and she alone, continues exercising the powers of the Governor’s Office,” he added.

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Caldwell was “the first Black president of Centenary University, a small, private institution in North Jersey, and pastor at Covenant United Methodist Church in Plainfield, Union County,” according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. “He also served on the New Brunswick school board for 26 years, including six as president.”

“Mikie Sherrill and I represent a different kind of leadership that sees possibilities, not a blind commitment to doing things the way they’ve always been done,” Caldwell said after Sherrill chose him as her running mate last year.

Vivek Saxena
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