Retired Navy Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, removed from her post in 2025, is the Democratic nominee for South Carolina's open 1st Congressional District, challenging Charleston County Councilwoman Jenny Costa Honeycutt. National Democrats have added Lacore to the DCCC "Red to Blue" list and a pro-Democratic super PAC has pledged $2.1 million in fall TV ads, while Honeycutt holds Trump's endorsement and benefits from strong local ties. The district remains Republican-leaning, but limited polling and outside funding make the race more competitive than in recent cycles. Key issues include the war in Iran, Social Security policy, and federal infrastructure priorities.
Can Democrats Flip SC-1? Fired Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore Challenges Local Favorite Jenny Costa Honeycutt
Nancy Lacore, a former U.S. Navy admiral, during a rally at Saint Urban's, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Mount Pleasant. File/Gavin McIntyre/Staff
MOUNT PLEASANT — When South Carolina Republicans redrew the 1st Congressional District map in 2022, many observers concluded the seat had been reshaped to favor the GOP. Four years later, Democrats are testing whether that advantage still holds as an open-seat contest unfolds in the Lowcountry.
The race is open because U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace is running for governor. The Democratic nominee is retired Navy Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, who was removed from her post in 2025 by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Lacore has used her military record and that high-profile departure to raise money outside the state and attract national party support.
Two Contrasting Candidates
Lacore, a New York native who relocated to Mount Pleasant after leaving the service, runs as a political moderate. Her platform stresses affordability, government ethics, stronger congressional oversight of military engagements, and pragmatic approaches to immigration and abortion policy. Her campaign leans on her Navy credentials—her logo incorporates the three stars of a vice admiral and early ads were filmed aboard the carrier Yorktown at Patriots Point.
Her Republican opponent, Charleston County Councilwoman Jenny Costa Honeycutt, emphasizes deep local roots. Honeycutt, a construction lawyer from James Island and two-term county council member, argues her hometown background and experience make her better positioned to deliver federal infrastructure projects and represent local priorities.
Politics, Money and Messaging
National Democrats view Lacore as a potential pickup opportunity and added her to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's "Red to Blue" target list, unlocking party resources. A principal pro-Democratic super PAC has pledged $2.1 million in fall television advertising to support her. Lacore entered the general-election phase with a cash advantage, fueled largely by out-of-state donations before the June 30 reporting deadline.
The National Republican Congressional Committee has not publicly labeled the district competitive, and NRCC messaging has sought to portray Lacore as a candidate propped up by national interests. Honeycutt secured former President Donald Trump’s endorsement after winning the Republican primary and has emphasized conservative cultural issues and fiscal priorities.
Jenny Costa Honeycutt, the Republican nominee in the 1st Congressional District, speaks at the Sun City Hilton Head retirement community on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. Ian Grenier/Staff
Where The Campaign Stands
The 1st District runs along the Atlantic coast from Beaufort County to McClellanville, bypasses the Charleston peninsula and West Ashley, and includes Berkeley County and a portion of Dorchester County. Republicans carried the seat by double digits in 2022 and 2024, and while several outlets moved the race toward "more competitive" this summer, the district remains tilted Republican.
Public polling is limited; some surveys sponsored by Lacore backers show Honeycutt with a narrow lead. Local consultants caution that while the district is difficult terrain for a Democrat, it is not necessarily predetermined. "Nobody should pretend that this isn't a difficult district for a Democrat, it is," said John Moffett, a Charleston consultant. "But at the end of the day, difficult and predetermined are not the same thing."
Policy Differences
Both candidates call for stronger congressional oversight of how the United States enters military conflicts amid the war in Iran. Lacore has criticized the conflict and said she would vote to end U.S. involvement; Honeycutt has said Congress must decide whether the country should be at war but has not committed to a specific vote.
They also diverge on Social Security: Honeycutt has suggested lawmakers consider difficult options such as raising the retirement age to preserve benefits, while Lacore opposes raising the retirement age and instead supports increasing the cap on wages subject to Social Security taxes.
Local Issues and the Road Ahead
Infrastructure projects — from the Highway 278 bridge in Beaufort County to connecting the Berlin G. Myers Parkway to I-26 in Berkeley County — figure prominently in the race. Both candidates argue they are better positioned to secure federal support for such priorities.
With national money flowing in and both sides pressing competing narratives—Lacore as a centrist veteran backed by national Democrats, Honeycutt as a locally rooted conservative with Trump’s blessing—the contest will hinge on turnout and whether Lacore can translate national interest into sustained local support.
Election Day is Nov. 3, 2026.
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