🔎 The investigation into Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell was reportedly nearing completion, but Gov. Mikie Sherrill has not publicly said whether she has received the final report.
🗣️ Caldwell supporters are pushing back, saying people with firsthand knowledge of events cited in the allegations were never interviewed by investigators.
✈️ The controversy is now affecting Sherrill’s travel, with the governor reportedly holding off on out-of-state campaign invitations while the investigation remains unresolved.
The scandal surrounding New Jersey Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell is entering a new and potentially more consequential phase.
But the biggest development may be how many important questions remain unanswered.
Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell is reportedly under investigation over allegations involving women and possible ethics violations. (Mikie Sherrill Campaign/Governor’s Office/Google maps/TSQ illustration)
The New York Times reported Sept. 9 that the investigation into allegations involving Caldwell was nearing completion and that a report from the outside lawyers conducting the review was expected to reach Gov. Mikie Sherrill within days.
More than a week later, there has been no public confirmation that Sherrill has received it.
Does she have the report? Has she read it? What did investigators conclude? And what happens next?
READ MORE: Caldwell probe—What we know
Caldwell investigation faces new questions
Sherrill hired former New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino and his law firm to conduct the review after allegations surfaced involving Caldwell’s behavior toward women and possible ethics violations.
Caldwell has denied wrongdoing. In a May letter to the state’s chief ethics officer, he said he had never asked anyone on a date, “hit on” anyone or pursued anyone romantically while conducting official business.
Now some Caldwell supporters are raising questions about the investigation itself.
A newly organized group calling itself “Let the People There Be Heard” says people with firsthand knowledge of events referenced in the allegations were never contacted by investigators. (Getty Images/Press release/TSQ illustration)
A newly organized group calling itself “Let the People There Be Heard” says people with firsthand knowledge of events referenced in the allegations were never contacted by investigators.
The group identified three people it says were directly involved in events cited in an anonymous complaint. One, former Asbury Park school board member Felicia Simmons, organized the 2026 Whitesboro Black History Gala and says investigators never interviewed her.
That does not establish that the investigation is flawed, nor does it prove Caldwell’s assertions that the allegations against him are false. But it raises another question Sherrill may ultimately have to answer: How thorough was the investigation?
Sherrill remains largely silent
Sherrill has repeatedly declined to discuss specifics.
In her most detailed public statement, the governor said credible complaints must be “fully examined and addressed,” while also stressing that anyone accused of wrongdoing is entitled to a fair review. She pledged to act quickly if the evidence warrants it.
For now, however, Caldwell remains lieutenant governor and Secretary of State.
And the controversy is beginning to have practical consequences for Sherrill.
Mikie Sherrill celebrates with lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Dale Caldwell (R) after their win during an election night watch party at the Hilton East Brunswick Hotel on November 4, 2025 in East Brunswick (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)
Caldwell controversy complicates Sherrill travel
The New Jersey Globe reports Sherrill has stopped accepting new out-of-state political invitations while the investigation remains unresolved.
Why?
Under New Jersey’s succession rules, Caldwell can exercise gubernatorial powers when Sherrill is absent from the state under circumstances that trigger a transfer of authority. He last served as acting governor Aug. 24 through Aug. 26, shortly before the investigation became public.
Sherrill had previously said she planned to travel nationally to campaign for Democratic candidates in the midterm elections. She and her political organization are backing congressional candidates in multiple states.
That creates another political complication.
Sherrill has attracted national attention since winning the governorship after serving in Congress, and out-of-state campaigning can help politicians build relationships and visibility beyond New Jersey.
There is no public confirmation that Sherrill intends to seek national office.
But for now, the unresolved Caldwell investigation is doing something few political opponents could: keeping New Jersey’s governor close to home.
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