Dale Caldwell should fight back against Sherrill’s resignation demand (Opinion)
I’m a Republican.
Dale Caldwell is the Democratic Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey.
After reading what has actually been alleged against him, reading his response and looking at the evidence described in the investigative report, I have a question:
Are we seriously saying this is enough to drive an elected lieutenant governor from office?
Governor Mikie Sherrill says yes. She called the findings “serious, repeated violations of state policy” and demanded Caldwell’s resignation.
Caldwell says no.
His attorney disputes both the findings and the fairness of the investigation.
What the Caldwell investigation actually found
So let’s look at what we actually know:
The most inflammatory allegation is that Caldwell made a romantic advance toward a female staffer’s friend and later made a crude comment about younger women looking for “young sperm.”
Caldwell categorically denies saying it.
The investigative report says the comment was reported by the staffer and that investigators found her credible.
There is no recording of the alleged comment, no text message, no email and a New Jersey State trooper was in the vehicle when the conversation allegedly occurred.
The trooper told investigators he did not recall hearing the remark, although he also said he generally did not pay attention to conversations occurring in the back seat.
Investigators believed the staffer and concluded that Caldwell’s conduct constituted sexual harassment. Caldwell disputes that conclusion.
That distinction matters.
An investigative finding deserves to be taken seriously. It is not the same thing as an undisputed fact.
Then there is the résumé.
The investigation concluded Caldwell improperly advocated for a promotion for a woman with whom he had a personal relationship without disclosing that relationship.
What he specifically is accused of is forwarding a resume of a qualified candidate. Should he have disclosed his relationship?
That is a fair ethics question, but where is the evidence that Caldwell ordered anyone to hire her?
Where is the threat? Where is the pressure? Where is the retaliation?
Crickets.
And here’s a rather important detail: She didn’t get the promotion.
Caldwell says he believed she was qualified and that referring people and forwarding résumés was something he routinely did.
Who among us has never recommended a qualified friend for a job? The ethical question isn't whether Caldwell knew the woman.
The relevant question is whether he improperly used the power of his office to secure a government benefit for her.
I believe the evidence simply is not there to substantiate the accusation.
And when we're talking about connections and government opportunities, perhaps everyone in Trenton should look in the mirror.
Remember the controversy surrounding Governor Sherrill’s own family?
In 2025, both of Sherrill’s children were admitted to the United States Naval Academy.
Political opponents and other critics immediately raised questions about favoritism and whether having a mother who was a sitting member of Congress, Naval Academy graduate and prominent political figure gave them an unfair advantage.
Those were accusations and questions, not proof of nepotism, and the facts matter.
Sherrill’s children did not go through their mother’s congressional nomination process. One received a nomination from Senator Cory Booker and the other from then-Senator George Helmy.
Sherrill said they deliberately applied through the senators to eliminate even the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Booker’s office said its candidates went through an extensive screening process and were selected on merit.
I thought those distinctions mattered for Mikie Sherrill then. Shouldn't they matter now?
An appearance of influence is not proof of improper influence.
Knowing somebody is not proof of corruption, and recommending a qualified person does not automatically mean someone abused public office.
That standard certainly applied to Mikie Sherrill’s family, shouldn't it also apply to Dale Caldwell?
Then we arrive at the free tickets.
The investigation says Caldwell brought personal guests to seven ticketed events without obtaining advance ethics approval or paying for their admission.
There are ethics rules governing those situations.
Public officials are responsible for following them, but let's maintain some sense of proportion.
New Jersey has seen governors face questions over substantially more expensive perks associated with public office. Republican Governor Chris Christie famously used a State Police helicopter to attend his son’s high-school baseball game.
Christie later reimbursed the state for personal portions of helicopter travel.
Nobody should ignore ethics rules, but not every ethics violation is Watergate.
Perspective matters.
I'm old enough to remember the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings. Kavanaugh faced extraordinarily serious allegations that he denied.
The subsequent supplemental FBI background investigation did not corroborate the Ford or Ramirez allegations, although that investigation itself became the subject of considerable criticism.
I remember President Bill Clinton, too.
Clinton ultimately acknowledged an improper sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky, who had begun working at the White House as an intern.
Those were national controversies involving allegations or acknowledged conduct of an entirely different magnitude.
Which brings me back to Dale Caldwell.
Where the evidence and allegations collide
Workplace harassment is real. Sexual coercion is real.
Women have endured unwanted physical contact, demands for sexual favors, threats, retaliation and powerful men using control over someone's livelihood to pursue sexual relationships.
Those women deserve to be taken seriously, and reducing every disputed comment, awkward interaction, résumé referral or improperly handled event ticket to the same moral category risks trivializing what actual victims of workplace abuse have endured.
Caldwell is accused of misconduct. He is entitled to defend himself against those accusations.
His attorney says the investigation was one-sided, denied Caldwell meaningful due process and failed to consider witnesses with firsthand information.
The investigators reached the opposite conclusion.
They say their inquiry was thorough, that they found the staffer credible and that Caldwell violated workplace and ethics policies.
OK, so let's put the evidence under a microscope.
Let Caldwell challenge it, let witnesses speak and let the public see as much of the underlying evidence as privacy laws reasonably allow.
This entire episode began with an anonymous letter. Now Governor Sherrill is demanding that New Jersey’s independently elected lieutenant governor resign.
That is an extraordinary consequence.
Before that happens, New Jersey deserves more than labels.
We deserve evidence, we deserve context, we deserve proportionality and we deserve due process.
Why due process still matters
I'm a Republican. Dale Caldwell is one of the highest-ranking Democrats in New Jersey.
I disagree with him on plenty, but none of that matters here.
This is not about partisan politics.
This is about cancel culture and political correctness and a rise in the presumption of guilt, instead of protecting the foundation of American justice, the presumption of innocence.
Due process shouldn't have a party registration.
Governor Sherrill should be prepared to explain why resignation is the proportionate punishment for what this investigation actually established, especially where Caldwell directly disputes critical allegations and is demanding the opportunity to defend himself.
Caldwell is right to fight and stay in office.
The deeper question here is why this all happened in the way that it did.
Is Sherrill looking for a distraction from the non-citizen voter registration scandal? Is she planning to leave office before the end of this term and doesn't want independent-minded Dale Caldwell to be the incumbent running in 2029?
Or is it the special interests and big donors who are trying to move Dale out to make way for a back-room-picked future incumbent?
This latest crisis in the executive branch is looking more like a political hit-job and potential will result in a major self-inflicted wound for the current Governor.
We'll see how it plays out.
The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own
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Gallery Credit: Jackie Corley
The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own.
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