New Jersey's lieutenant governor is out of a job after just eight months in office, forced to resign Friday when a scathing 61-page ethics investigation found he sexually harassed a female staffer and repeatedly abused his position — including telling a young woman on his staff that "young women want 'young sperm.'"

Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who picked Dale Caldwell as her running mate and swore him in alongside her in January, announced his resignation at a Friday afternoon press conference. "He engaged in serious, repeated violations of state policy and failed to uphold the responsibilities of his office," Sherrill said, according to NBC News. She had publicly demanded he step down by Friday, even though as governor she has no legal power to remove him herself.

What the Report Found

The investigation, led by former New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino, substantiated three separate findings against Caldwell: sexual harassment of a female staffer, an ethics violation for bringing guests to ticketed state events without paying or reimbursing the cost, and a code-of-conduct breach for pushing a promotion for a state employee he was romantically involved with. Investigators said the harassing comments and "ethical lapses" continued "despite multiple warnings and trainings," according to ABC7 New York.

"IT'S INSIDIOUS AND RUPTURES THE TRUST WITHIN AN ORGANIZATION," SHERRILL SAID OF THE HARASSMENT FINDINGS.

Caldwell, a Methodist pastor and former president of Centenary University, was New Jersey's first male lieutenant governor and also held the post of secretary of state. An anonymous complaint about his conduct surfaced within four months of his taking office. He did not concede any wrongdoing in stepping down. "My resignation should not be interpreted as an admission of wrongdoing or acceptance of the report's findings," Caldwell said in his own statement, while his attorney, Thomas Calcagni, said the team would keep "forcefully" disputing what he called the report's "specious findings."

Reaction in Trenton was swift. Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin said Caldwell "was right to resign from office," and Sherrill framed the fallout as a matter of principle over politics: "In my administration we are committed to doing what is right, not what is politically expedient."

New Jersey's dual-office setup means Caldwell's exit leaves two vacancies at once. Shirley Emehelu, the state's acting comptroller, has been named acting secretary of state to keep that office running. The lieutenant governor's chair is a bigger problem: under state law, Sherrill has 45 days to appoint a successor, and until she does, the state Senate president is next in line to assume gubernatorial duties if Sherrill is out of state or incapacitated.

The scandal lands awkwardly for New Jersey Democrats as the 2026 midterms bear down — early voting is already underway nationally, with New Jersey's own statewide races just weeks off. Whether Sherrill's fast, public break with her hand-picked No. 2 blunts the political damage — or whether Republicans try to make it a bigger midterm liability — is likely to become clear in the coming days as she names a replacement.