Nancy Lacore, a three-star Navy rear-admiral who was fired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last year as part of a purge of senior military officials, has won the Democratic primary for a closely watched congressional race in South Carolina. Lacore secured the party's nomination for the US House of Representatives in the state's first congressional district on Tuesday, defeating Mac Deford, a US Coast Guard veteran, in a runoff election.
Path to November
Lacore's victory sets the stage for a high-stakes general election in November, where she will lead an ambitious Democratic effort to flip the Republican-held seat. The district is currently represented by Republican Nancy Mace, who opted not to seek re-election and instead mounted an unsuccessful campaign for South Carolina governor. Jenny Costa Honeycutt, a member of the Charleston County Council, won the Republican nomination on Tuesday to replace Mace.
Lacore's campaign has drawn significant support from veterans' groups and Emily's List, an organization that backs Democratic pro-choice women candidates. According to a New York Times analysis of federal campaign finance records, she raised $500,000 in her first two weeks as a candidate and more than $1.4 million through late May.
Background on Hegseth Purge
Lacore was among dozens of officers dismissed during Hegseth's ongoing elimination of senior military personnel deemed to have crossed the Trump administration or who do not align with the defense secretary's vision for the armed services. Her firing has become a central theme of her campaign, positioning her as a reformer willing to challenge the administration.
She is also one of 12 House candidates backed by the Bench, a Democratic strategy group that advises candidates in districts considered difficult to win, according to the outlet. The primary runoff was necessitated after no candidate secured a majority in the initial June 11 primary, where Lacore led with 44.5% of the vote to Deford's 32.7%.
