New Jersey Gov. Sherrill Resumes Out-of-State Travel as Senate President Scutari Serves as Acting Governor
TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill resumed out-of-state political travel on October 8, her first trip outside New Jersey since a controversy involving then-Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell became public on September 4. Senate President Nicholas Scutari was sworn in as acting governor Thursday morning, assuming the constitutional authority of the governorship while Sherrill travels.
Sherrill delivered the keynote address Thursday at Personal PAC's 33rd Anniversary Awards Lunch in Chicago. The organization supports candidates who favor reproductive rights. On Friday, she headlined an Ohio fundraiser for Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee for governor and a physician who previously served as the state's health director. Acton faces Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in November.
The two-day trip to Illinois and Ohio ends a pause in Sherrill's travel that began after the New Jersey Globe disclosed an investigation into Caldwell's alleged behavior toward women and ethics violations. Sherrill subsequently held off on accepting new out-of-state invitations, avoiding circumstances that would have put Caldwell in charge while the allegations remained unresolved.
Caldwell resigned on September 25, one day after Sherrill demanded his departure following an internal investigation that substantiated sexual harassment and ethics violations. Caldwell has disputed the findings and challenged the fairness of the investigative process. His departure left the lieutenant governor's office vacant and moved Scutari into the role of acting governor whenever Sherrill leaves New Jersey.
Sherrill has until November 9 to appoint a new lieutenant governor and is weighing potential candidates.
Impact: The trip signals Sherrill's return to the national stage as a Democratic governor less than a year into her term, campaigning for fellow Democrats ahead of the November elections. At home, the episode has renewed attention on New Jersey's executive succession framework — legal commentators have argued the state must reform the constitutional provisions governing temporary and permanent succession to avoid stretching them to manage a crisis of political or ethical misconduct. Whoever Sherrill names as lieutenant governor by the November 9 deadline will shape the state's leadership for the remainder of her term.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Famartin 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0（Wikimedia Commons）
