A Rising Democratic Star Has A Lieutenant Governor Problem. She Isn't Talking About It.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill quickly went public this summer when faced with the revelation that thousands of noncitizens had been added to the state’s voting rolls several years ago.

Now, with her administration months into an internal investigation into her handpicked lieutenant governor, she’s taking a much different approach: virtual silence — in public and, more strikingly, with Democratic leaders she needs in her corner.

The first-term governor — a moderate Democrat and former House member — made her first public comment on Tuesday about the investigation into Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell, one that’s focused on allegations including improper behavior with women. The existence of the inquiry, which her administration still has not officially disclosed, was first reported Friday afternoon.

Her statement offered no details and didn’t name Caldwell, a 66-year-old pastor whom she plucked from running a small private university to be New Jersey’s second in command — and who, as secretary of state, also oversees the department under a separate investigation over how noncitizens got on the voter rolls.

State and county leaders, an influential and typically in-the-know group, have also been left in the dark. Several prominent party chairs and state legislators told POLITICO they know essentially nothing about the investigation beyond what’s been reported in the press and what the state’s voracious rumor mill produced over the long weekend.

“He is one of four statewide elected officials. People have a right to know what’s going on,” said one Democratic operative familiar with talks among party leaders who was granted anonymity to discuss internal matters. “The idea that they are just white-knuckling this and not saying anything — it’s totally insane.”

Sherrill hasn’t spoken to state Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin or state Senate President Nick Scutari, the Legislature’s powerful leaders, either, according to two people close to them who were also granted anonymity in an ongoing investigation.

“That’s just deteriorating relationships,” one of the people said. “Obviously the Republicans are pouncing on this and nobody’s left with talking points — should they come to his defense? What should they do?”

New Jersey has 21 county chairs for each party, and the ones aligned with the governor are typically kept in the loop — they coordinate on appointments and judicial nominations, and are political allies who expect to hear from the front office when trouble hits. One Democratic county chair, granted anonymity because of the ongoing investigation, said it’s “protocol” to communicate with party chairs and “usually we would get something” on a matter as significant as this.

“My phone hasn’t rang,” the chair said.

Publicly, most top state Democrats aren’t touching the investigation, which is being led by Christopher Porrino, who served as state attorney general under former Republican Gov. Chris Christie and is now in private practice. Spokespeople for Scutari and Coughlin declined to comment.

Caldwell’s office also did not respond to an emailed request for comment.

In the absence of much hard information, state Republicans have gone on the offensive, saying the allegations are evidence of Sherrill’s faulty governance — and calling on Caldwell to resign. With the midterm elections two months away and at least one highly competitive New Jersey House race underway, the issue hands Republicans a fresh line of attack on the state’s Democratic leadership.

“This could be the worst handling of a crisis in modern history,” New Jersey GOP Chair Christine Hanlon said in a statement. “Caldwell should have been placed on leave during the investigation. As a mother of three daughters, I consider this an outrage!”

One state Democrat, first-term Assemblymember Katie Brennan, has also gone public with her thoughts, saying the purported allegations against Caldwell “deserve a thorough and independent investigation.” Brennan herself has some experience with high-profile state investigations: her sexual assault accusation against a top staffer on former Gov. Phil Murphy’s campaign, which became public in 2018, was a focal point of Murphy’s early years in office.

“Governor Sherrill moved quickly here, and I’m glad she did, but survivors shouldn’t have to hope that the people in charge will do the right thing,” Brennan said.

Sherrill, who had no public schedule Tuesday, said in her statement that she takes her responsibility to “treat any reports of inappropriate behavior or misconduct extremely seriously, and any credible report must be fully examined and addressed.”

“If the evidence warrants,” she added, “I will take appropriate action quickly.”

Her options are limited. The lieutenant governor is a constitutional office, which means Caldwell can only leave through resignation, impeachment or death. But his day-to-day portfolio — including running the Department of State — is assigned at the governor’s discretion, and Sherrill could strip him of it at any time. So far, she hasn’t done so.

Prior to last year, Caldwell — the former president of Centenary University and a longtime New Brunswick school board member — was far from a household name in New Jersey. Early speculation on Sherrill’s lieutenant governor pick included well-known names like Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and state Sen. Troy Singleton, but Sherrill pointedly eschewed established politicians in her selection process, instead opting for a more unconventional pick in Caldwell.

That allowed her to campaign more effectively as an agent of change in New Jersey’s machine-dominated political system, but it also means that she essentially bears sole responsibility for elevating Caldwell to prominence.

Sherrill’s handling of the investigation and whatever results it may produce, then, will be under particularly close scrutiny. The former Navy helicopter pilot pledged accountability and transparency when she was sworn into office in January, and she’s been leveraging her military credentials and resounding victory to help other candidates get elected in primaries around the country.

Much about the allegations remain unknown. At least one individual who went on a date with Caldwell was interviewed by the internal investigative team, according to one person familiar with the matter who was also granted anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation. Several people said he jokingly broadcasts himself as “the most eligible bachelor in New Jersey.”

The New Jersey Globe, which was first to publish details of the allegations Friday, has reported that the investigation also pertains to “possible ethics violations that include the purported offer of state jobs.”

Several of the Democrats who spoke with POLITICO said that their own interactions with Caldwell have been broadly positive, and that — unlike some other politicians later accused of misconduct — they had not heard widespread rumors of indiscretion prior to the start of the probe.

Former state Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, who ran alongside then-Gov. Jon Corzine in 2009 as the Democrats’ first nominee for lieutenant governor, said the administration should provide some clarity as soon as possible to end the confusion.

“Whatever is happening has to happen quickly and with transparency,” Weinberg said. “The quicker that the governor or the investigators can get the facts out there, the better off the public is served and the better off the governor is served.”