N.J. Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell ’82 reportedly being investigated for inappropriate behavior

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill has opened an internal investigation into Dale Caldwell ’82, New Jersey’s lieutenant governor and secretary of state, for alleged inappropriate behavior with women and possible ethics violations, the New Jersey Globe reported on Friday.

Details of the reported investigation are not clear, and the governor’s office has not confirmed or denied the existence of the investigation. Though the Globe, which first reported on the topic, said the investigation includes potential ethics violations related to the alleged offer of state jobs, The New York Times only reported that inappropriate behavior with women was being investigated.

Former New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino is leading the investigation, according to the Globe. Porrino is reported to be working with Shontae Gray, who is a colleague at the law firm Lowenstein Sandler. Business in New Jersey Everyday separately reported that Caldwell first met with Porrino two months ago and that the investigation was sparked by an anonymous tip in late spring.

“The Governor would take any reports of inappropriate behavior or misconduct extremely seriously and expects our public officials to hold themselves to the highest standards,” Sherrill’s chief spokesperson Sean Higgins wrote in a statement. “We cannot confirm or deny potential personnel matters.”

Caldwell is a Princeton alumnus with a background in education administration who was chosen out of relative political obscurity by Sherrill last year to be her running mate. The reported investigation comes following a summer that was dominated by the revelation that New Jersey incorrectly registered thousands of noncitizens to vote prior to the current Sherrill administration, and that over 300 of the noncitizens had gone on to vote in an election.

As secretary of state, Caldwell oversees the state’s elections. While the Sherrill administration has sought to draw a contrast between her response to the improper registrations and the continued denials of Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 presidential election by many Republican politicians, Caldwell has agreed to some cooperation with Republican representatives in Congress who are investigating the issue.

Caldwell declined to comment on the reported investigation for this story.

On Saturday, New Jersey GOP Chairwoman Christine Giordano Hanlon said that Caldwell “must resign” and strongly criticized Sherrill for not being more transparent about the investigation.

As lieutenant governor, Caldwell cannot be removed from office unless he is impeached by the State Legislature, though he may choose to resign. Sherrill also cannot remove Caldwell from his position as secretary of state except “for cause,” though the exact parameters for meeting that standard is unclear, as a sitting New Jersey governor has never previously attempted to forcibly remove a secretary of state.

In New Jersey, the lieutenant governor becomes the acting governor when the governor is traveling out of state. Caldwell has served as acting governor several times during Sherrill’s administration. He did so most recently for three days from Aug. 24 to Aug. 26, after the investigation had reportedly already begun.

Since then, Caldwell has not appeared in any of the governor’s daily public schedules. Before his most recent time as acting governor, Caldwell appeared occasionally in the public schedules, including on Aug. 21 for an event celebrating the birthday of Count Basie, an American jazz pianist, and the unveiling of a state Black Heritage Trail marker, and on Aug. 14 for three community events.

Caldwell obtained his Ed.D. in educational leadership at Seton Hall University and has long been involved in the education field. He previously served on the New Brunswick Board of Education for 26 years, including six years as the board’s president, and as the president of the Educational Services Commission of New Jersey. He is also the senior pastor of Covenant United Methodist Church in Plainfield.

From 2017 to 2024, Caldwell was the president of the College Achieve Greater Asbury Park Charter School board. During Caldwell’s time as board president, the school, a charter school that is one of three managed by the wider College Achieve Public Schools Inc. organization (CAPS), was investigated by the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) after reports of financial mismanagement, illegal procurement practices, and a lack of transparency regarding the use of public funds.

An initial comptroller investigation found that the Asbury Park school board had entered into an agreement with College Achieve Public Schools that gave nearly all administrative power to CAPS. Under this arrangement, which has been renewed regularly since 2017, the school was found to have violated public contracting laws by approving payments to a company owned by the then-executive director’s brother-in-law without going through a competitive process and violating anti-nepotism rules, among other issues.

The OSC wrote that CAPS’ outsized influence contributed to the school’s board members being “unaware of problems at the school.” The Asbury Park school and CAPS have pointed to remedial action they took following a joint internal investigation to push back on the OSC’s investigation, and they have both sued the OSC to block the comptroller’s subpoenas.

Caldwell did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his role at the College Achieve Greater Asbury Park and the reported violations.

In 2023, Caldwell was named the first Black president of Centenary University, where he also served as a professor of management. His role included establishing a vision for the university, reviewing academic programs, and raising funds. He left the university in January to begin his term as lieutenant governor.

At Princeton, Caldwell majored in economics and found an interest in leadership, which helped shape his political path. He worked at Commons in Madison Hall, then Princeton’s dining hall, and mopped floors at the Graduate College before working his way up to Crew Captain and eventually CEO of the dining hall.

At the time, Caldwell was one of the few Black student leaders on campus.

Neither Caldwell nor Sherrill have publicly commented on the reported investigation, and he currently remains in both his positions.

Oliver Wu is the assistant News editor for the ‘Prince’ leading town coverage, focused on the Municipality of Princeton and beyond. He is from Stony Brook, N.Y., and can be reached at oliver.wu[at]dailyprincetonian.com.

Giselle Moreno is a staff News writer who typically covers town and university affairs. She is from Dallas and can be reached at gisellemoreno[at]dailyprincetonian.com.

Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.