N.J. Democrats are frustrated with Mikie Sherrill’s handling of allegations against her lieutenant governor: ‘They feel left in the dark’

Democratic leaders in New Jersey learned Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell was under investigation for alleged inappropriate behavior with women at the same time the public did — from a news report just before Labor Day weekend.

And still it took nearly a week before Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill finally took questions from reporters Wednesday on what has reportedly been a monthslong investigation by an outside law firm.

But even then she refused to confirm an investigation into her lieutenant governor or even refer to him by name. It’s unlikely to relieve the growing concerns of many in her party.

New Jersey Democratic Party leaders, frustrated by her decision to hide the matter from them, had privately urged Sherrill to share what she could ahead of Wednesday’s event, rather than let Republicans calling for Caldwell’s resignation dominate the headlines.

After this pressure, her team announced the governor would take questions from the media during a visit to a Woodbridge pizza shop Wednesday evening, her first public event since the news broke Friday.

But she offered no new details in her answers.

“I’m not going to confirm or deny whether there is an ongoing investigation, but what I can commit to people is that any complaints are taken very seriously and certainly anyone who has a complaint lodged against them, their rights are protected and they will have a full hearing,” Sherrill told more than 15 members of the media gathered outside Pino’s Pizzeria and Restaurant in Woodbridge.

She declined to answer when the complaint against Caldwell was filed and whether she had curtailed any of his responsibilities, including whether he would act on her behalf when she traveled out of state.

A Democratic operative who requested anonymity to speak freely about private conversations with legislators said Sherrill has put her allies in a tough position where they feel obligated to weigh in but don’t know enough to make a public statement.

“Legislators are pissed off about this,” the operative said earlier Wednesday. “They feel left in the dark and they feel like they’re put in a weird place.”

The operative said it feels like Sherrill and Caldwell, who are both Trenton newcomers, have been on their own “island.”

Sherrill released her first comment on the matter on Tuesday, which did not acknowledge the existence of the investigation or name her lieutenant governor. In vague terms, she said she demands members of her administration “hold themselves to the highest standards and put their obligations to public service first.”

New Jersey political operatives questioned why Sherrill didn’t address the investigation earlier, or by addressing it head on with a news conference, like she did earlier in the summer when her administration discovered thousands of noncitizens that had been registered to vote during her predecessor’s administration. The governor has touted herself as prioritizing transparency and accountability.

“If I were the press secretary in that administration, I would have urged a Friday statement, the sooner the better,” said Micah Rasmussen, the director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics, who worked as former Gov. Jim McGreevey’s press secretary.

“By not doing that, you really do raise suspicions … whereas if you can tamp that down and say, ‘Here’s what we know, here’s what we’re waiting for, here’s what you’re going to know, that can put everything into perspective.’”

Former State Sen. Loretta Weinberg, a Democrat from Bergen County, said Wednesday that she has faith in Sherrill’s nascent administration, but that it was time for the governor to personally address the investigation — the details of which have been leaked in media reports.

“I think that has been too long for what obviously began in May and has not yet come to fruition. What is taking so long?” said Weinberg, who served as Senate majority leader and made combating sexual harassment and violence a cornerstone of her long legislative career.

“When you have an unwillingness to talk, the rumor mill fills in the gaps. That’s not good for transparency,” she said.

Sherrill’s spokesperson Sean Higgins declined to comment on the criticism from other Democrats outside the pizza event Wednesday evening.

BINJE reported Wednesday that Caldwell denied allegations of misconduct toward women in a May 28 letter to Christina Fullam, the state’s chief ethics officer. He said it was “personally painful for someone to attempt to damage my reputation and slander my character with false and misleading accusations” and suggested race was involved.

“While I am troubled by this accusation, as the first single Black man to serve at this level in government, I suspect that there will be other false accusations or rumors in the future,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, in this current political environment, false accusations, especially against people of color, seem to be commonplace.”

Sherrill has garnered national attention for her decisive win last year and outspoken criticism of President Donald Trump. She’s also been supporting Democrats in other states ahead of this year’s midterms, making appearances for candidates in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, fueling speculation about national ambitions.

But the investigation into Caldwell and widespread media coverage could complicate her rise.

“This isn’t going away until (Sherrill and her team) provides answers,” said a Sherrill adviser, who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak on the matter. “If they do not handle this now, it will metastasize and burst those bubbles of being on the national stage.”

Some party operatives have even begun mulling who might replace Caldwell, the adviser said.

Caldwell has served as acting governor while Sherrill was out of state more than half a dozen days in July and August, with no opportunities for the press to ask him questions. His public schedule included appearances at a United Airlines event in Newark, a tennis event in Paterson, and a Puerto Rican Festival in Vineland.

But taking on the role as acting governor isn’t just attending community events and photo ops. The position takes on all the responsibilities of governor, and choosing Caldwell as her running mate was a personal judgment call for Sherrill.

“It’s a big power to be governor, you have clemency powers,” noted one Democratic political insider who requested anonymity to speak freely, questioning why Caldwell was left to run the state while under investigation.

Assembly member Alex Sauickie, an Ocean County Republican, on Tuesday called on Sherrill to stop traveling out of state while Caldwell is the subject of investigation.

“This is no longer simply about the governor leaving New Jersey to campaign for politicians in other states or build her national political profile. This is now about who is actually in charge of our state when she leaves,” he said in a statement.

Some Democrats watching the controversy around Caldwell unfold have pointed to other issues that concern them with Sherrill’s administration, such as the State Police’s aggressive response to the ICE protesters outside the Delaney Hall ICE facility in Newark, and major companies leaving the state, the Sherrill adviser said. They pointed to this episode as another example of Sherrill and her team operating without communication or input from other elected officials.

Only a couple of Democratic legislators have publicly commented on the news.

Assembly member Katie Brennan (D., Hudson), who accused a senior campaign adviser for former Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy of sexual assault in 2017, released a statement Tuesday calling the allegations serious. She used the opportunity to promote legislation that she said would “set clear standards” for how complaints are handled.

On Wednesday, State Sen. Britnee Timberlake (D, Essex) defended Sherrill’s handling of the investigation and criticized Republicans’ “selective outrage,” the New Jersey Globe reported.

Rasmussen noted that he hasn’t seen anyone come to Caldwell’s defense in Trenton.

“Maybe he doesn’t have those people in Trenton. He was picked primarily because he was an outsider,” he said.

Sherrill picked Caldwell, a Black pastor, to be her running mate after she underperformed in heavily Black and Latino parts of New Jersey during the primary.

Another Democratic leader who requested anonymity to speak freely and not alienate the administration, said they’re disappointed it took so long for Sherrill’s administration to acknowledge the investigation but that Caldwell deserves to have judgment wait until the investigation is complete.

“He’s played the role this administration has asked of him, advancing the governor’s agenda. He has been visible. I truly believe they have a good partnership. Everyone should have the presumption of innocence,” the leader said.

“But it’s fair to say all of us were pretty shocked when we saw the accounts. It is my hope the governor and the investigations will be completely transparent.”