N.J. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill selects Centenary University President Dale Caldwell as her running mate

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New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill has chosen Dr. Dale Caldwell, the president of Centenary University in Warren County, as her running mate.

“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 a release Friday morning.

She said that she and Caldwell are determined to make New Jersey more affordable, while protecting “Our rights and freedoms from Trump’s attacks.”

Caldwell is the son of civil rights leaders who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama.

“He’s followed in his parents’ footsteps, and he has always been a voice for the voiceless,” Sherrill said.

Caldwell said he has dedicated his life in service of his church, his students, and his community.

Ben Dworkin, director of the Institute for Public Policy & Citizenship at Rowan University, said Sherrill selected Caldwell because she was looking for an “out-of-the-box” running mate.

“Caldwell brings diversity as an African American male, and also some real experience in governance,” he said. “He was a school board member for decades; he also has strong experience in education and in non-profit management.”

Dworkin said Mikie Sherrill is trying to define herself within the Democratic tradition while setting herself apart from stalwarts such as Gov. Phil Murphy. “She wants to be able to say this is how I’m going to be a little bit different.”

Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, said most of the time voters don’t make their decision on the number two person.

“Mikie Sherrill wanted to pick somebody she was comfortable with, somebody she thought would be highly competent, somebody who has done a lot of things in New Jersey,” he said. “Dale Caldwell is well regarded in the higher education community, in his church and among civil rights leaders.”

In addition to serving as Centenary University president, Caldwell is also a pastor in the United Methodist Church and a former deputy commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs.

He also served as the executive director of the Rothman Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Fairleigh Dickinson University and as president of the Educational Services Commission.

Caldwell, an avid tennis player and coach, was president and CEO of the United States Tennis Association Eastern Section, founded the Black Tennis Hall of Fame and is a member of the Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame.