Admiral fired by Hegseth projected to flip GOP-held South Carolina House seat

Democrat Nancy Lacore, a retired Navy vice admiral fired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is projected to flip a Republican-held House seat in South Carolina. Decision Desk HQ, an election-results service, projected she would beat Republican Jenny Costa Honeycutt in the state's 1st Congressional District ¹.

Unofficial results showed Lacore ahead by more than 3,300 votes, 49.65 percent to 48.64 percent. The Associated Press had not called the race as of Wednesday afternoon ¹.

Lacore said Honeycutt's campaign contacted her to concede. Honeycutt thanked her supporters in a statement, and outgoing Republican Rep. Nancy Mace called Lacore "Congresswoman-elect" ¹.

A district Trump won by 13 points

President Donald Trump carried the coastal district by 13 percentage points in 2024. Mace has held the seat since 2021 and gave it up to run for governor. She finished fifth in the Republican primary for that race ¹.

From Channel GOPHakeem Jeffries: Democrats take back the HouseHakeem Jeffries · 38 plays · captioned, with the source named

Republicans had defended a district that was redrawn to favor the GOP. Democrat Joe Cunningham held the seat for one term before Mace beat him in 2020 ¹.

From fired chief to congresswoman-elect

Lacore began her Navy career as a helicopter pilot. She rose to chief of the Navy Reserve, overseeing about 60,000 sailors, and completed two deployments ¹.

Hegseth removed her from that post in August 2025, ending a 35-year military career. No reason was publicly given, and the removal came amid a series of firings of senior officers ¹.

Lacore made Hegseth's management of the Pentagon and his handling of the Iran war part of her campaign. She said politics and religion were being pushed into the armed forces ¹.

At an October debate, she said that when Congress is not involved in military action, "we end up in another unconstitutional forever war" ². Honeycutt said Congress is responsible for declaring war but that the country must "finish the job" ².

Money, polls and what comes next

The race tightened late. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report moved it from "Lean Republican" to "Toss Up." Lacore raised about $4.8 million, against just under $1.3 million for Honeycutt, a Charleston County Council member ¹.

Lacore first had to win a Democratic primary runoff against Coast Guard veteran Mac Deford in June. Honeycutt won the Republican runoff over Mark Smith the same day ¹³.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told a campaign rally that a Democratic majority would "run Hegseth out of town" ¹.

That matters because Lacore would arrive in Washington as a sitting member of Congress who knows the Pentagon's leadership firsthand. Newsweek reported that the seat would give her a platform to keep challenging Hegseth's leadership of the Defense Department ¹.

Official results still have to be certified, and the AP call is pending. Newsweek said it had contacted both campaigns for further comment ¹.

The Record

1. Jun 23, 2026Lacore and Honeycutt win their party runoffs for South Carolina's 1st District ³.
2. Oct 16, 2026Lacore and Honeycutt debate in Charleston, discussing the economy, guns and the Iran conflict ².
3. Nov 4, 2026Decision Desk HQ projects Lacore the winner; she says Honeycutt's campaign conceded ¹.

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<h2>Admiral fired by Hegseth projected to flip GOP-held South Carolina House seat</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Capitol Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/admiral-fired-by-hegseth-projected-to-flip-gop-held-south-carolina-house-seat">The GOP Files</a> on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.</em></p> <p>Democrat Nancy Lacore, a retired Navy vice admiral fired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is projected to flip a Republican-held House seat in South Carolina. Decision Desk HQ, an election-results service, projected she would beat Republican Jenny Costa Honeycutt in the state&#39;s 1st Congressional District .</p> <p>Unofficial results showed Lacore ahead by more than 3,300 votes, 49.65 percent to 48.64 percent. The Associated Press had not called the race as of Wednesday afternoon .</p> <p>Lacore said Honeycutt&#39;s campaign contacted her to concede. Honeycutt thanked her supporters in a statement, and outgoing Republican Rep. Nancy Mace called Lacore &quot;Congresswoman-elect&quot; .</p> <h2>A district Trump won by 13 points</h2> <p>President Donald Trump carried the coastal district by 13 percentage points in 2024. Mace has held the seat since 2021 and gave it up to run for governor. She finished fifth in the Republican primary for that race .</p> <p>Republicans had defended a district that was redrawn to favor the GOP. Democrat Joe Cunningham held the seat for one term before Mace beat him in 2020 .</p> <h2>From fired chief to congresswoman-elect</h2> <p>Lacore began her Navy career as a helicopter pilot. She rose to chief of the Navy Reserve, overseeing about 60,000 sailors, and completed two deployments .</p> <p>Hegseth removed her from that post in August 2025, ending a 35-year military career. No reason was publicly given, and the removal came amid a series of firings of senior officers .</p> <p>Lacore made Hegseth&#39;s management of the Pentagon and his handling of the Iran war part of her campaign. She said politics and religion were being pushed into the armed forces .</p> <p>At an October debate, she said that when Congress is not involved in military action, &quot;we end up in another unconstitutional forever war&quot; . Honeycutt said Congress is responsible for declaring war but that the country must &quot;finish the job&quot; .</p> <h2>Money, polls and what comes next</h2> <p>The race tightened late. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report moved it from &quot;Lean Republican&quot; to &quot;Toss Up.&quot; Lacore raised about $4.8 million, against just under $1.3 million for Honeycutt, a Charleston County Council member .</p> <p>Lacore first had to win a Democratic primary runoff against Coast Guard veteran Mac Deford in June. Honeycutt won the Republican runoff over Mark Smith the same day .</p> <p>House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told a campaign rally that a Democratic majority would &quot;run Hegseth out of town&quot; .</p> <p>That matters because Lacore would arrive in Washington as a sitting member of Congress who knows the Pentagon&#39;s leadership firsthand. Newsweek reported that the seat would give her a platform to keep challenging Hegseth&#39;s leadership of the Defense Department .</p> <p>Official results still have to be certified, and the AP call is pending. Newsweek said it had contacted both campaigns for further comment .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/admiral-fired-by-hegseth-projected-to-flip-gop-held-south-carolina-house-seat">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/admiral-fired-by-hegseth-projected-to-flip-gop-held-south-carolina-house-seat.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. Newsweek, “Nancy Lacore, Admiral Fired by Pete Hegseth, Projected to Flip GOP Seat” (2026-11-05). newsweek.com/nancy-lacore-admiral-fired-by-pete-hegseth-proj
2. Live 5 News (WCSC), “SC-1 Debate: Lacore, Honeycutt spar over economy, data centers, and guns” (2026-10-16). live5news.com/2026/10/16/sc-1-debate-lacore-honeycutt-spar-o
3. ABC News 4, “Jenny Costa Honeycutt and Nancy Lacore take SC-01 primary runoffs” (2026-06-23). abcnews4.com/news/local/story/sc-1st-district-voters-choose-

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