Sherrill Reportedly Picks Emehelu for Lieutenant Governor
Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill is reported to have selected acting Secretary of State Shirley Emehelu to fill New Jersey's vacant lieutenant governor post.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in People
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Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill reportedly selects Shirley Emehelu as New Jersey's next lieutenant governor, a post vacant since Dale Caldwell resigned in late September. The appointment has not yet been formally announced.
Why it matters
The lieutenant governor role has been empty since Caldwell's resignation followed a 61-page report detailing his inappropriate behavior with women. Filling the post would restore the state's second-highest executive office.
Emehelu served as the third-highest-ranking official in the state attorney general's office from 2022 to 2024 and has spent nearly nine years as a federal prosecutor in New Jersey. Whether the reported selection will be formally confirmed has not yet been addressed.
The players
Mikie Sherrill
Mikie Sherrill is the governor-elect of New Jersey who is reportedly making the lieutenant governor appointment.
Shirley Emehelu
Shirley Emehelu is New Jersey's acting secretary of state and a former federal prosecutor reportedly selected for lieutenant governor.
Dale Caldwell
Dale Caldwell is the former New Jersey lieutenant governor who resigned in late September after a report detailed his inappropriate behavior with women.
The details
Emehelu currently serves as acting secretary of state, a role she has held since September. Her prior roles include private practice at Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi and Debevoise & Plimpton, and a federal judicial clerkship in Virginia.
Timeline
September: Emehelu began serving as acting secretary of state.
Late September: Dale Caldwell resigned as lieutenant governor after release of a 61-page report.
November 6: Reports of Emehelu's selection were published.
Political Context
The appointment fills the office left vacant after Dale Caldwell resigned in late September following a 61-page report on his inappropriate behavior with women. Emehelu would become the state's fifth lieutenant governor.
If confirmed, Emehelu would take over the lieutenant governor's duties, which include succeeding the governor if that office is vacated. The appointment would end the vacancy created by Caldwell's resignation.
The takeaway
Leadership vacancies can ripple through state government, and the formal confirmation of a replacement will determine when the office is fully staffed again.
Further reading
Explore more People coverage for context on public figures shaping New Jersey's leadership.
Source note: This article includes information reported by New City Daily Voice.
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