Investigation Into Nj's Lieutenant Governor Grounds Mikie Sherrill

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill was just starting to use her multimillion-dollar war chest to bring her moderate brand of Democratic politics national, campaigning for candidates in other states and potentially setting her up for a run for higher office, or at least shaping her party’s messaging.

But a controversy involving Sherrill’s second-in-command has grounded the helicopter pilot governor, forcing her to stay in New Jersey lest she hand over power to Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell as he faces an internal investigation into his alleged conduct with women and potential ethics violations. The lieutenant governor, an otherwise symbolic position, becomes acting governor when the governor travels out of state for an extended period of time — allowing them to sign or veto legislation, make appointments and take executive actions such as pardons, though no one has abused that authority.

“It leaves more room for people to conjecture: Has our acting governor been accused of something serious?” said former New Jersey Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, who was the unsuccessful first Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2009. “And you add that leaving the state — not really for official state business but for campaigning — I think it leaves a lot of room for making even more accusations.”

By all appearances, Sherrill had been preparing for a national blitz. Her super PAC and accompanying dark-money group "Mission to Deliver” boasted $6 million raised. She endorsed 12 out-of-state candidates for U.S. House and Senate in August in what the group billed as its “first endorsements”— all military veterans like her. That month, Sherrill made a brief trip to New England to campaign with three of those candidates.

But then news broke two weeks ago that Sherrill’s administration had for months been investigating Caldwell. One Democratic operative familiar with the governor’s schedule confirmed she has no immediate plans for further travel, though they insisted the Caldwell controversy was not the sole reason. The operative, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly, said Sherrill did not have any plans she had to cancel following news of the Caldwell investigation.

Still, Sherrill apparently had no qualms leaving the state before, even though she would have been aware of the probe. Sherrill left New Jersey several times during the investigation but before it became public, leaving Caldwell as acting governor.

“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.

There’s little doubt that despite only serving in office for eight months, Sherrill has national ambitions. After running a relatively centrist gubernatorial campaign based heavily on her time in the Navy and pledges to control utility rates and other expenses, she presented herself as a future pathway for Democrats in contrast to the rise of the hard left and democratic socialists.

And she wouldn’t be the first. New Jersey has repeatedly elected governors who harbor national ambitions, most notably former Gov. Chris Christie, who before the rise of Donald Trump was often considered a presidential frontrunner. But New Jersey, with its history of messy and transitional politics,has gotten in the way.

That — at least right now — appears to be the case with Sherrill.

“I think every governor of New Jersey looks in the mirror and sees a president, and they always have,” said Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky, who’s spent years combating sexual misconduct on campaigns. “She needs to get this off her plate as quickly as possible.”

Meanwhile, New Jersey Republicans have called for state legislative hearings into the controversy.

The accusations against Caldwell have been vague. The New York Times reported earlier this monththat they may have been spurred by an anonymous letter that Caldwell had brought three “uninvited female guests” to various political events and handed out business cards to women he hoped to date. But while those allegations have been largely met by a shrug in political circles, the article acknowledged that there may be other allegations that have yet to surface.

Former Attorney General Christopher Porrino has been investigating the allegations since at least late spring and, according to the Times, is expected to send his report to Sherrill soon.

But the report’s release may not end the controversy. Caldwell has been publicly pushing back against the allegations, with a May letter he sent to a top state ethics official leaking to a New Jersey business publication shortly after news of the investigation went public.

“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,” he wrote in the letter obtained by BINJE.

And several Caldwell allies on Wednesday announced the formation of a “movement” to defend him, with one saying she had organized one of the events Caldwell allegedly brought a female guest to but had not been contracted by investigators. The organizer, former Asbury Park Board of Education member Felicia Simmons, suggested the handling of the investigation “makes you ask if there is foul play at hand and what kind of findings are being developed.”

Further complicating matters is Caldwell’s dual role as secretary of state, which puts him in charge of the Division of Elections just as New Jerseyans are beginning to cast mail-in ballots for the midterms. At the same time, a law firm hired by the Sherrill administration is investigating an apparent software error that added 6,600 noncitizens to the state's voter rolls several years before Sherrill and Caldwell took office.

The pushback from Caldwell and his allies means that even if the internal investigation’s findings become public, it still may not clear the way for Sherrill to resume her political travels. Because if Caldwell wants to stay in office, it would take an act of the Legislature to remove him.

“He’s one member of the Executive Branch the governor cannot remove,” said Rutgers Law School professor Ronald Chen, an expert in the state Constitution. "They were elected to the office, and therefore the governor cannot remove the lieutenant governor. He’d’ have to be impeached by the Assembly and convicted by the Senate.”