NJGOP Chairwoman Christine Giordano Hanlon responded to the governor’s announcement calling for Lieutenant Governor Dale Caldwell to resign, noting that the NJGOP called for his immediate resignation nearly three weeks ago amid reports of an investigation into allegations of inappropriate conduct toward women.

“When we called for Dale Caldwell’s resignation back on September 5, we were criticized for being premature. Now the governor is finally making that very same call,” said Chairwoman Hanlon. “We spoke out because the people of New Jersey deserved answers about an investigation that had been underway for months while this administration kept the public in the dark. The report released today makes clear why our concerns could not wait.”

The 61-page investigative report substantiated allegations of sexual harassment and violations of state ethics rules. It also documented that concerns about Caldwell’s conduct toward women had been raised internally before the formal investigation began, and that he continued certain misconduct after repeated warnings and trainings.

“The report released today makes clear why decisive action could not wait. Based upon the Governor’s public statements that she would investigate every ‘credible’ complaint as well as her failure to publicly give him even the slightest expression of support or confidence once the investigation was made known to the public by the New Jersey Globe, we knew the conduct was egregious,” Chairwoman Hanlon said.

Hanlon also called out the failure of leadership by Governor Sherrill and members of her administration for mishandling the situation by ignoring a woman’s complaint and failing to address the issues in a timely fashion. According to a report by the New Jersey Globe, allegations date back to before Sherrill’s election, when her team was contacted during her campaign in September 2025 by a woman seeking to make a complaint about Caldwell, but the woman was rebuffed. Her administration was again made aware of inappropriate behavior by Caldwell in March 2026, months before the investigation began. He was confronted about his concerning behavior toward women on March 25 and again on May 1, but the investigation did not begin until late May.

“The Governor’s call for Caldwell to resign now does not erase the administration’s failure to be transparent or explain why he was allowed to continue serving in positions of authority despite repeated warnings,” Chairwoman Hanlon said. “The report reveals a troubling failure of leadership inside the Sherrill administration.  In the face of concerns about Caldwell’s conduct, Mikie Sherrill continued leaving the state, placing Caldwell in the position of Acting Governor while these serious allegations and an active investigation surrounded him. There are many more questions that need to be answered.”

The NJGOP is committed to holding the Sherrill administration accountable and continuing to call for transparency for all New Jerseyans.

About the NJGOP

The New Jersey Republican State Committee is the official entity of the Republican National Committee and represents more than 1.6 million Republicans registered in New Jersey. For more information, visit NJGOP.org.