Sherrill formally nominates Dale Caldwell as running mate

Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) on Friday formally announced Dale G. Caldwell, the president of Centenary University, as her nominee for lieutenant governor.

The New Jersey Globe reported Sherrill’s running mate selection on Thursday. The 65-year-old pastor, tennis player, and former assistant commissioner at the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs will join Sherrill on the campaign trail Saturday, according to the release.

“I’m proud to select Dale Caldwell as my Lieutenant Governor running mate because we share a commitment to public service and challenging the status quo,” Sherrill said in the release. “Dale is the son of civil rights leaders who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma — and he’s followed in his parents’ footsteps and he has always been a voice for the voiceless.”

Sherrill, who will face GOP nominee Jack Ciattarelli in the November general election, said Caldwell holds a well-rounded resume that has prepared him for the role.

“Not only has Dale given back to the community for nearly 30 years, he brings experience in the private sector, higher education, nonprofits, and the Department of Community Affairs,” Sherrill said. “As Jack Ciattarelli is committed to Trump, Dale and I are committed to New Jersey, and I can’t wait to hit the campaign trail with Dale this Saturday.”

In a statement, Caldwell said he was honored to join the ticket.

“Mikie Sherrill and I represent a different kind of leadership that sees possibilities, not a blind commitment to doing things the way they’ve always been done,” Caldwell said in the release. “My life, much like Mikie’s, has been dedicated to service: to my church, my students, and my community. That’s why I’m honored and humbled to join Mikie’s ticket.”

Caldwell is a pastor of the Covenant United Methodist Church in Plainfield and served on the New Brunswick school board for 26 years.

“The Sherrill administration will be focused on creating opportunity for the people of New Jersey — lowering costs so families can get ahead and stay ahead,” he said. “While we will be a voice for the people, Jack Ciattarelli will be a voice for Trump and the MAGA movement that is costing New Jersey our wallets and our freedoms.”

State Senate President and Union County Democratic Chair Nick Scutari praised Sherrill’s pick in a statement Friday.

“This is a critical election for New Jersey’s future as our rights and freedoms are under assault, but we can be confident that Dale Caldwell will work in partnership with Mikie Sherrill to fight for the needs and priorities of our residents,” he said. “They will work with the Legislature to make the lives of New Jerseyans more affordable by lowering the costs of health care, utilities and housing and expand opportunities for residents in every community across the state.”

In a statement, Ciattarelli campaign manager Eric Arpert called Caldwell a “career political insider.”

“New Jersey is headed in the wrong direction on taxes, crime, education, overdevelopment, and energy costs, and Mikie Sherrill’s response is to pick a career political insider as her LG,” Arpert said. “It tells you all you need to know about her and how she’ll govern. Jack represents real change, and together with Sheriff [Jim] Gannon, that’s exactly what New Jersey will get on Day One of the Ciattarelli Administration.”

Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin said that Sherrill and Caldwell “come from a lifetime dedicated to service above self and have  taken untraditional paths to leadership.”

“They are united in their commitment to making New Jersey more affordable while protecting our rights and freedoms from Trump’s attacks,” stated Coughlin.

This article was updated with further statements.