July 25, 2025
Michael Karas-Daily Record; USA TODAY NETWORK/Tanya Breen; USA TODAY NETWORK
Rep. Mikie Sherrill, left, chose Rev. Dale Caldwell, president of Centenary University and a pastor, as her lieutenant governor candidate in New Jersey's governor race. In November's election, they will run against Republican Jack Ciattarelli and his running mate, Morris County Sheriff Jim Gannon.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic nominee in the New Jersey governor's race, announced Friday that she has picked the Rev. Dale Caldwell, the president of Centenary University in Hackettstown, to be her running mate in the fall.
Caldwell, who lives in New Brunswick and served on its school board for 26 years, is also a pastor at the Covenant United Methodist Church in Plainfield. His father was the late Rev. Gilbert Caldwell, a civil rights pioneer who marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
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Sherrill's announcement comes two days after Jack Ciattarelli, a former Assemblyman and the GOP nominee in the race, announced his own pick for lieutenant governor — Morris County Sheriff Jim Gannon.
Sherrill's opposition to President Donald Trump has been a cornerstone of her campaign, and she wasted no time in looping Caldwell into that message, saying they both are committed to "challenging the status quo."
"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," Sherrill said in a statement.
She added: "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."
Caldwell said he has dedicated his life to public service to his church, students, and community. He echoed Sherrill's anti-Trump warning.
"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," Caldwell said in a statement.
Caldwell became Centenary University's president in 2023 and is the first Black president of the private, Methodist university, which has an enrollment of over 1,000 students.
He's a Princeton, Penn, and Seton Hall graduate who was a former deputy commissioner of the state Department of Community Affairs.
New Jersey Monitor is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. New Jersey Monitor maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Terrence T. McDonald for questions: info@newjerseymonitor.com.
