Mikie Sherrill elevated Dale Caldwell to new heights. His supporters say his reputation is being unfairly tarnished.

During the whirlwind spectacle of his daughter’s Sept. 1 wedding, business leader Duvi Honig noticed his guest, Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell, was sharing his business card and private cell phone number with everyone he met.

Honig said he told Caldwell to stop — he was there as a friend and he wanted him to relax and have fun. Caldwell assured him that in his role as Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s liaison to the business community, he was happy to help anyone in need, Honig recalled.

So when Honig read the news days later that Caldwell, a minister, was the subject of a months-long ethics investigation for allegedly giving business cards to women he wanted to date, among other claims, he said he had to defend the lieutenant governor. No one else seemed to be speaking up for him, he said.

“I thought, ‘What the heck is this?’ What I witnessed — him being overly nice to everyone — is being used against him?” said Honig, a Lakewood resident and founder of the national Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce. “He is a special person. He is accessible to anyone and he has no agenda.”

Now that Caldwell’s name and political future is tied to an investigation — which Sherrill won’t confirm but is privately being carried out by a former state attorney general — some of his friends and colleagues are rushing to his defense to answer the question: Who is Dale Caldwell?

Before the investigation became public, Sherrill, a rising star in the Democratic Party, had been hitting the road for the party’s candidates in key congressional races, transferring the gubernatorial powers and responsibilities to Caldwell when she left the state.

But she’s since curtailed her travel while the investigation drags on amid Republican criticism and concerns from members of her own party, according to three veteran Democrats who were involved in her campaign or have ties to her administration who were not authorized to comment publicly.

“She is failing at the most important time” by not being able to campaign, said one veteran adviser.

The governor recently made trips to New York City for a 9/11 memorial event and a live interview with The Atlantic, but she did not make Caldwell acting governor because of an exception that allows travel across the river.

“We’re not going to speculate about the Governor’s schedule, but her priorities are always guided by the best interests of New Jerseyans,” Sherrill spokesperson Sean Higgins said in a statement.

Democratic power players have privately expressed frustration that Sherrill has left them in the dark about the probe while Republicans call for Caldwell’s resignation. Sherrill said in a statement days after the news broke that “any credible report must be fully examined and addressed.”

The veteran campaign adviser close to both Caldwell and Sherrill said the two have not spoken directly with each other as the investigation proceeds.

When Sherrill selected Caldwell as her running mate in July 2025, he was largely unknown in New Jersey’s political arena. He was not her first choice, according to two of the veteran Democrats.

A senior campaign adviser, impressed with Caldwell’s resume and “unblemished public record,” recommended the pick. It dramatically raised his public profile to new heights in a role that would entrust him to lead the state in Sherrill’s absence.

The 66-year-old divorced minister with degrees from Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania previously served as the first Black president of Centenary University. He worked as deputy commissioner of community affairs in former Democratic Gov. James McGreevey’s administration more than 20 years ago.

He also held a seat on the New Brunswick Board of Education for nearly three decades and founded charter schools in Asbury Park and Trenton.

Last year, the state comptroller’s office interviewed Caldwell, a founder and then-board president at the College Achieve Greater Asbury Park Charter School, as part of its ongoing investigation into whether the school had violated public contract laws and misused public funds.

Caldwell is the first man and third Black person to serve as lieutenant governor. He quickly embraced the opportunity to be Sherril’s No. 2, a campaign adviser said.

“Their dynamic [between Sherrill and Caldwell] was terrific. Reports coming back on his appearances were all very positive and they got off on a strong start on inauguration day, as far as I knew,” the adviser said.

One person close to the campaign, however, said after the election Caldwell asked others how he should do the job.

“You are there as the governor’s person. You report to the governor and chief of staff,” the source said. “He laughed. I think he was trying to do his own thing.”

The investigation, sparked by at least one anonymous complaint, began more than four months ago, according to the campaign adviser.

The complaint accused Caldwell of bringing uninvited women to events and handing his business card out to women he wanted to date. And a state employee accused him of making inappropriate comments, the New York Times reported.

Caldwell declined a request for an interview through a spokesperson. His attorney, Thomas Calgagni in Newark, did not respond to requests for comment.

Caldwell denied the allegations and suggested racism was a factor in a May 28 letter to the state’s chief ethics officer, noting that he’s “the first single Black man to serve at this level in government,” and that “in this current political environment, false accusations, especially against people of color, seem to be commonplace,” which was first reported by BINJE.

“I have never asked anyone out on a date, ‘hit on,’ or pursued anyone romantically while conducting official business as Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State,” his letter said. “Throughout my career in government, higher education, nonprofit leadership, ministry and public service, I have consistently conducted myself professionally and respectfully.”

Former Congressional candidate Tim Alexander, an Atlantic County-based civil rights attorney, got to know Caldwell while working on the campaign trail for Sherrill in South Jersey last year. He sang Caldwell’s praises and said he believes he is “good for the state.”

Alexander, a former detective, said Caldwell supported his congressional bid but stepped away to avoid a conflict as the new secretary of state, which he called a “testament to his character.” The former candidate, who is Black, said he can’t believe race is a factor in the allegations without knowing more.

“Dale has impeccable credentials, and he also has Black skin. So there’s a lot that I could opine on, but when it comes to investigations, I got to leave it out. ... If we have confirmation bias, it turns the investigation to trash,” he said.

Last week, a small band of friends and colleagues spoke out to condemn the vague allegations, the snail’s pace of the investigation, and the permanent harm to Caldwell’s reputation no matter the outcome.

Felicia Simmons of Asbury Park was one of several friends to rush to Caldwell’s defense last week by questioning the legitimacy of the investigation. She helped organize one of the events in question — the Whitesboro Black History Gala, an event in April recognizing the preservation efforts of the state’s first planned Black community, located in Cape May County.

Simmons said she invited the lieutenant governor to hand out proclamations to honorees. She said she saw no questionable behavior on his part.

“It was very meaningful for him to be here,” she added.

Caldwell’s staff alerted her prior to the event that he would be bringing guests, which isn’t unusual because many dignitaries seldom travel alone, Simmons said.

And after all these months, no one from former Attorney General Christopher Porrino’s law firm leading the probe has spoken to her yet — even after issuing a statement criticizing investigators for not contacting her.

“I feel highly offended,” she said.

Caldwell “comes from a line of men with integrity,” noting his father marched with Martin Luther King Jr., she said.

“I truly believe Gov. Mikie Sherrill made the right choice picking this man and we can’t just sit back,” Simmons said. “These awful allegations could follow him for the rest of his life.”

Albert Stark from the Philadelphia and Marlton-based law firm Stark & Stark, also came to Caldwell’s defense in an interview, calling him a reliable friend and public servant. Stark said Caldwell, a pioneer in bringing tennis to young Black youth, helped establish the National Junior Tennis and Learning network in Trenton.

When he first heard about the scandal, Stark said he wondered: “Who was setting him up?”

They haven’t spoken since the investigation was publicized, but offered this advice. “Just be yourself, you’re a terrific guy, he has got nothing to be ashamed of.”

Before the investigation leaked, Caldwell spent his summer visiting with business leaders and elected officials throughout the state, including in South Jersey. Local leaders did not comment on the accusations but said they appreciated Caldwell spending time in the region.

Collingswood Mayor Daniela Solano-Ward said Caldwell visited her small borough for the second time for its World Cup fan fest. Caldwell kicked a soccer ball around with the mayor, thanked volunteers, and fist bumped Deputy Mayor Amy Henderson Riley’s daughter. He posed with local vendors, smiled in front of a “giggle juice slushies” menu at Racoon Taproom and chatted with kids at the All Fired Up! pottery studio.

“He was kind and respectful, and seemed like he was very engaged in the things we were saying,” she said, noting that their interactions were limited.

As acting governor he visited Campbell’s and the Philadelphia 76ers training facility in Camden for an economic development tour in August, and he returned later that month for a Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey resource fair alongside Camden Mayor Vic Carstarphen, a Democrat who declined to discuss Caldwell.

New Jersey Democrats have not been rushing to defend Caldwell, who has become a complicated topic for them with the extent of the allegations against him unclear.

Gerard Cleaves, a professor at Pillar College, a private evangelical Christian school in Newark, said he was angry at the Democrats who, he believes, are “out there fanning the smoke” by leaking tidbits of the investigation and not offering public support.

“They are trying to destroy his integrity,” he said.

“I am an old, white male Republican conservative who worked very hard to get [Sherrill’s GOP opponent] Jack Ciattarelli elected,” said Cleaves, who said he met the lieutenant governor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where Caldwell taught from 2018 to 2023. When Caldwell joined Sherrill’s ticket, Cleaves said he told his colleagues they “would be hard to beat” based on Caldwell’s resume and character.

Caldwell has not missed their Wednesday morning Bible study lessons since news of investigation broke earlier this month, Cleaves said.

“He doesn’t appear stressed. He knows in his heart who he is. He has told me he will not resign. He is not going to give up,” he said.