Former New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Dale Caldwell resigned following a damaging independent ethics investigation that substantiated sexual harassment allegations against him, though he disputes the findings and insists he stepped down to avoid distracting Governor Mikie Sherrill's administration. The 61-page probe, commissioned by the state, detailed a pattern of misconduct that prompted Sherrill to publicly call for his resignation, which he announced the following day. This matters because Caldwell also served as Secretary of State, an office responsible for elections oversight.

The investigation found Caldwell made an inappropriate remark to a female staffer about "young women looking for young sperm," a comment investigators deemed sexual harassment and found his denial not credible. Additional violations included improperly bringing guests to ticketed events without reimbursement and repeatedly seeking a state job promotion for a woman with whom he was romantically involved. Caldwell has criticised the investigation as "poorly done" and "specious," whilst his lawyer disputed the three main findings as going beyond what the evidence supports. However, Governor Sherrill defended the inquiry as "very thorough" and characterised the allegations as demonstrating "a pattern and practice of long-term concerning behaviour."