Democrat Nancy Lacore, a former Navy admiral fired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is expected to flip a Republican House seat in South Carolina, likely giving Democrats a resounding victory in a district that President Donald Trump won comfortably just two years ago.
Decision Desk Headquarters predicted Lacore would defeat Republican Jenny Costa Honeycutt in South Carolina’s first congressional district race for the seat held by Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, who gave it up to launch an unsuccessful campaign for governor.
Lacore led by more than 3,300 votes, or 49.65 percent to 48.64 percent, according to unofficial results. The Associated Press had not announced the contest as of Wednesday afternoon.
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The Democrat said Wednesday that Honeycutt’s campaign had contacted her about conceding the race. Honeycutt also released a statement thanking his supporters and saying his “commitment to the people I love and the place I call home will never waver.”
“The voters of the Lowcountry have spoken and they have clearly made their choice. I am honored to be the next Congresswoman for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District,” Lacore said in a statement to WSAV.
News week contacted the Lacore and Honeycutt campaigns for additional comment Wednesday.
His projected victory comes just over a year after Hegseth removed him as head of the Naval Reserve, ending his 35-year military career.
The result also represents a striking political reversal for Hegseth: The admiral he removed from one of the Navy’s top posts has made his leadership of the Pentagon an issue in his campaign and is now set to represent a district won by Trump by 13 percentage points in 2024.
From Navy Admiral to Congress
Lacore, a retired three-star vice admiral, began her Navy career as a helicopter pilot and eventually became head of the Naval Reserve, overseeing about 60,000 sailors. She also completed two deployments in more than three decades in uniform.
Hegseth removed him from his position in August 2025. No reason was publicly given for his dismissal, which came amid a series of removals of senior military officers under Hegseth.
Lacore then made this military record a central element of his congressional campaign.
She also turned the man who fired her into a political foil. Lacore repeatedly criticized Hegseth’s management of the army and said that politics and religion were integrated into the armed forces.
“People are just concerned about the injection of politics and religion into the military,” Lacore said. The United States today before the elections. “People who know the military know there is no room for either. This weakens the fabric that makes our military strong.”
She has repeatedly attacked Hegseth’s handling of the Pentagon and criticized his handling of the Iran war. She also leaned on her national security track record while campaigning in a traditionally Republican-friendly district.
The political terrain made it particularly remarkable. Trump won the district by 13 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election, while Mace has represented it since 2021. Republicans, including Sen. Tim Scott and former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, have also represented the coastal district.
“In a district that Donald Trump won by 13 points just two years ago, Republicans, Democrats and independents came together to demand something better from Washington,” Lacore said in his statement.
“We have a lot of work to do in Congress and change won’t happen overnight. But I will always be focused on serving with integrity and results.”
What Lacore’s victory could mean for Hegseth
Lacore’s projected victory could turn one of Hegseth’s highest-profile personnel decisions into a lingering political issue for the defense secretary. The former admiral he removed from command would return to Washington with a platform in Congress from which she could continue to challenge his leadership of the Pentagon.
It also gives Democrats a powerful example to cite as they step up their attacks on Hegseth: Lacore won in Republican territory after criticizing his leadership at the Pentagon as part of his campaign. Before the election, Hegseth had become a Democratic target because of his handling of the Pentagon and the war in Iran.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries went so far as to declare at a campaign rally that a Democratic majority would “run Hegseth out of town.”
Democrats aim for Republican seat
The race had become increasingly competitive in its final days.
Cook’s nonpartisan political report moved the district from “Lean Republican” to “Toss Up” as Lacore significantly outperformed Charleston County Council member Honeycutt. Campaign finance reports showed Lacore raised about $4.8 million, compared to just under $1.3 million for Honeycutt.
Lacore first had to survive a competitive Democratic primary. She defeated Coast Guard veteran Mac Deford in a June runoff to win the party’s nomination.
Mace, meanwhile, chose not to seek re-election to Congress and instead ran for governor. She finished fifth in the Republican gubernatorial primary. Mace congratulated Lacore on Wednesday, calling her an “elected member of Congress” and saying her office was committed to ensuring a smooth transition.
Mace’s departure left Republicans defending a district that had been redrawn to favor the GOP. Democrat Joe Cunningham previously represented the seat for a single term before Mace defeated him in 2020.
Lacore’s projected victory would return the district to Democratic hands, despite its recent strong Republican lean.
It would also turn Hegseth’s decision to fire Lacore into an extraordinary political reversal.
Newsweek Reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors about this story: Edward T. Cummins
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