Nancy Lacore, a three-star rear admiral dismissed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as part of a broader purge of senior military leadership, has won her party's Democratic primary in a competitive South Carolina congressional race.
Lacore defeated Coast Guard veteran Mac Deford in a runoff vote Tuesday to claim the nomination for the House seat representing the state's first district. Her path to November now pits her against Jenny Costa Honeycutt, a Charleston County Council member who won the Republican primary, in what Democrats view as a rare opportunity to flip a GOP-held seat.
The current representative, Republican Nancy Mace, declined to seek re-election in order to pursue an unsuccessful bid for the South Carolina governorship.
Lacore's candidacy capitalizes on growing frustration among military families and veterans over what critics describe as ideological purges within the Pentagon. She has drawn support from multiple veterans' organizations and Emily's List, a political group backing Democratic candidates who support abortion rights.
Fundraising has been robust. Campaign finance records show Lacore raised $500,000 in her first two weeks as a candidate and accumulated more than $1.4 million by late May. The Democratic strategists at the Bench, which identifies and advises candidates in challenging districts, have also backed her as one of 12 House candidates in their portfolio.
Hegseth has removed numerous senior officers he viewed as misaligned with the Trump administration's direction for the military or incompatible with his vision for the armed services. Lacore's dismissal placed her among dozens affected by this reorganization effort.
The race represents a test of whether anti-Hegseth sentiment and military community dissatisfaction can translate into electoral gains in a traditionally Republican district.
Author James Rodriguez: "A fired admiral running for Congress against a vacated GOP seat is the kind of David-versus-Goliath matchup that energizes both sides, but Democrats need more than good optics to win South Carolina."
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