Kim says Caldwell should resign immediately after the investigation report

Andy KimU.S. Senator from New Jersey

Sen. Andy Kim said New Jerseyans deserve public servants who earn and keep their trust, that the findings of the independent report are unacceptable, and that Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell should resign immediately.

“New Jerseyans deserve to have public servants who work to earn and keep their trust, not undermine it The findings of the independent report are unacceptable. The Lt. Governor should resign immediately.”

Reporting

Open source (opens in a new tab)Booker, Kim call on Caldwell to resign as pressure builds · New Jersey GlobeSecond through fifth paragraphs, quoting each senator
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

Booker, Kim call on Caldwell to resign as pressure builds (opens in a new tab) · New Jersey GlobeSecond through fifth paragraphs, quoting each senator

About this source

New Jersey Globe report on the calls for the lieutenant governor to resign from New Jersey's two U.S. senators and other officials after Gov. Mikie Sherrill gave him until September 25 to step down.

Archived copy (opens in a new tab)

Before the quotation

The New Jersey Globe reported that Kim spoke after Gov. Mikie Sherrill gave Caldwell until that day to resign, following an investigation that substantiated allegations of sexual harassment and ethics violations.

After the quotation

The Globe reported that Sen. Cory Booker also called on Caldwell to resign, saying Sherrill was right to seek his resignation.

How this statement is classified

Condemned

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

Why this label?

The reference point is the investigation report's findings against Caldwell and Gov. Sherrill's call for him to resign. Kim called the report's findings unacceptable and said Caldwell should resign immediately, which expressly rejects the conduct, so we labeled it Condemned.

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Dale Caldwell

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Watson Coleman and ten other Black New Jersey leaders commend Caldwell for stepping down and respect Sherrill's decision

Bonnie Watson Coleman

“We commend and appreciate Lieutenant Governor Dale Caldwell for making what we know could not have been an easy decision By choosing to step down and ending this controversy, he has put the interests of the people of New Jersey and the work of our state ahead of himself We also respect the difficult decision Governor Sherrill made Public service comes with an extraordinary responsibility to maintain the trust of the people we are privileged to serve. Accountability matters, and when difficult circumstances arise, leadership sometimes requires making difficult decisions”
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Cite this record

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The Dispute Index
Title
Kim says Caldwell should resign immediately after the investigation report
First published
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https://disputeindex.com/events/3397-sen-andy-kim-said-new-jerseyans-deserve-public

Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.

The Dispute Index. "Kim says Caldwell should resign immediately after the investigation report". First published: 2026-09-30. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/3397-sen-andy-kim-said-new-jerseyans-deserve-public