New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Dale Caldwell, 66, is the subject of an investigation into allegations of “inappropriate behavior” with women and possible ethical violations, NBC News reports. Caldwell, who also serves as secretary of state and oversees elections, has not yet publicly commented on the allegations.
New Jersey authorities hired the law firm Lowenstein Sandler to conduct the investigation. The review was led by her partner Christopher Porrino, who served as New Jersey's attorney general in the administration of Republican Gov. Chris Christie from 2016 to 2018.
The investigation was first reported by the New Jersey Globe. According to the publication, Porrino and his colleague, former assistant federal prosecutor Shonte Gray, are interviewing alleged complainants, including government officials, as well as possible witnesses. Caldwell is cooperating with the investigation.
The exact nature of the claims against the vice-governor is not disclosed. In addition to alleged inappropriate behavior with women, the probe concerns possible ethics violations, including allegations that Caldwell may have solicited people for state government jobs.
According to NBC News, the investigation is in the information gathering stage. Investigators are looking into Caldwell's activities since he took office in January 2026, but the investigation may also cover events that occurred before that. The lieutenant governor hired a lawyer and did not respond to the station's request for comment.
The office of New Jersey Gov. Miki Sherrill, a Democrat, has neither officially confirmed nor denied the existence of the investigation.
“The Governor takes any reports of inappropriate behavior or misconduct extremely seriously and expects our public officials to be held to the highest standards. We cannot confirm or deny potential personnel issues,” said Sherrill spokesman Sean Higgins.
At the same time, according to the New Jersey Globe, it was the Sherrill administration that initiated the audit and brought in Porrino for it. The New York Times also reports, citing two Democrats familiar with the situation, that the governor has hired an outside law firm to investigate her deputy's conduct.
Amid reports of the investigation, New Jersey Republicans have called for Caldwell's resignation. State GOP Chairwoman Christine Giordano Hanlon said he should resign. State Senate Republican Leader Anthony Bucco previously called for Caldwell to at least temporarily step aside from his duties until the review is completed.
Before joining the administration, Caldwell led Centenary University and became the university's first black president. He also served on the New Brunswick Board of Education for more than a quarter century and is a pastor of the United Methodist Church. His father, the Rev. Gilbert Caldwell, was a civil rights activist who marched with Martin Luther King Jr. for equal rights.
