Hathaway says Caldwell should resign immediately and asks why Sherrill let him serve as acting governor

Joe HathawayRepublican candidate for New Jersey's 11th congressional district and former Randolph Township mayor

Condemned

Joe Hathaway told Patch that the findings are deeply troubling and that Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell should resign immediately. He also said Gov. Mikie Sherrill needs to explain why she let Caldwell serve as acting governor while the allegations were being investigated.

“The findings detailed in this investigation are deeply troubling, and Lt. Gov. Caldwell should resign immediately.”

Reporting

Open source (opens in a new tab)Mejia, Hathaway Find Common Ground Over NJ Lt. Gov Scandal As They Battle For NJ-11 SeatParagraphs quoting Analilia Mejia and Joe Hathaway

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Caldwell resigned but says he will keep disputing the report

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Editorial composite of Dale Caldwell beside the cover of the September 23, 2026, investigation report concerning him.
Credit: Office of the Governor-Elect / Tim Larsen; Lowenstein Sandler LLP; composite by The Dispute Index

Where this statement fits

Should Dale Caldwell resign as New Jersey's lieutenant governor after the investigation's findings?

On September 24, 2026, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill released a 61-page report, with exhibits, by the law firm Lowenstein Sandler LLP and called on Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell to resign by the next day. The firm, engaged by the Governor's Chief Ethics Officer after an anonymous complaint dated May 6, found that Caldwell made a comment to a female staffer that constituted sexual harassment under the state workplace policy, and that he violated state ethics rules by bringing personal guests to ticketed events without payment and by seeking a promotion for a state employee with whom he had a romantic relationship. Caldwell, through his lawyer Thomas Calcagni, disputes all three findings, denies making the comment, and says the process was one-sided and lacked due process; in a May 28 letter he called the complaint's accusations false. Republican leaders called for him to resign or step down before the report was released. The Associated Press reports that the Governor cannot fire a lieutenant governor and that the Legislature can impeach and remove one. The statement issued for Caldwell on September 24 did not say whether he would resign. On September 25, Sherrill announced that Caldwell had resigned, The Philadelphia Inquirer and ABC News report. In a statement on his resignation, Caldwell said it should not be read as an admission of wrongdoing and that he strongly disputes the report; his lawyer said counsel would continue to challenge it.

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Source and context

Reporting

Mejia, Hathaway Find Common Ground Over NJ Lt. Gov Scandal As They Battle For NJ-11 Seat (opens in a new tab)Paragraphs quoting Analilia Mejia and Joe Hathaway

About this source

Bloomfield Patch report, posted Sept. 25, 2026, that quotes U.S. Rep. Analilia Mejia and Republican NJ-11 candidate Joe Hathaway each calling for Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell to resign. It was updated after Caldwell announced his resignation that day.

Archived copy (opens in a new tab)

Before the quotation

Hathaway's statement was reported by Patch on September 25, after Gov. Sherrill released the investigation report and gave Caldwell until that day to resign.

After the quotation

Rep. Analilia Mejia, Hathaway's Democratic opponent in November, also called for Caldwell to resign in the same report.

How this statement is classified

Condemned

The label describes this statement's response within the context above.

Why this label?

The case asks whether Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell should resign after the investigation's findings and Gov. Sherrill's call for him to leave office. Hathaway said Caldwell should resign immediately, which agrees with that call. His question about the governor's use of Caldwell as acting governor concerns a separate matter, so it does not change the label. We labeled it Condemned.

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Dale Caldwell, Mikie Sherrill

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The Dispute Index
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Hathaway says Caldwell should resign immediately and asks why Sherrill let him serve as acting governor
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The Dispute Index. "Hathaway says Caldwell should resign immediately and asks why Sherrill let him serve as acting governor". First published: 2026-09-26. Last updated: 2026-09-26. https://disputeindex.com/events/2805-joe-hathaway-told-patch-that-the-findings-are