A retired three-star Navy admiral whom Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed from her post last year has advanced to a June 23 runoff in the Democratic primary for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, putting her one election away from a seat in Congress.
Nancy Lacore, who spent more than three decades in uniform and once served as chief of the Navy Reserve, finished near the top of a crowded primary field. She will now face fellow veteran Mac Deford in a head-to-head runoff for the seat being vacated by Rep. Nancy Mace, the South Carolina Republican who left the race to run for governor.
From the Pentagon to the Campaign Trail
Lacore’s road to this moment is anything but conventional. She began her military career as a Navy pilot and climbed the ranks to become a vice admiral, one of the highest-ranking women in the service. Along the way she led the Navy Reserve for more than a year, overseeing tens of thousands of sailors.
That career came to an abrupt end last August, when Hegseth cleared out dozens of senior military leaders in a single sweep. Lacore was among them. She has described her removal as one that came without cause, and has said she “never put the uniform on again” after the day she walked out of the Pentagon for the last time.
The Race for Mace’s Seat
The 1st Congressional District stretches along South Carolina’s southeastern coast and has been represented by Mace since 2021. When Mace announced her bid for governor, the seat opened up for the first time in years, drawing a wide field of candidates in both parties. The Republican primary for the seat is also expected to head to a runoff.
On the Democratic side, Lacore and Deford emerged from the pack. Deford is a former local government attorney and a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, giving the runoff a matchup between two candidates with military backgrounds. The two will square off on June 23, with the winner advancing to November’s general election.
Endorsements and the Road Ahead
Lacore has drawn backing from several veterans-affiliated organizations, including groups focused on electing candidates with military service records. EMILYs List, which works to elect Democratic women who support abortion rights, also endorsed her campaign. Deford, for his part, has picked up support from his own slate of backers, including a former governor.
Whoever wins the runoff still faces a steep climb in the fall. The district has long leaned Republican, and nonpartisan analysts rate the seat as a safe GOP hold heading into November. That makes the Democratic runoff a long-shot path to Washington — but a symbolically loaded one.
What This Means for Voters
For voters in the district, the runoff offers a choice between two veterans with very different profiles, in a contest that has drawn national attention because of how Lacore’s military career ended. Her candidacy puts a spotlight on the wave of Pentagon firings last year and turns a personnel decision into a live political question. The image is hard to miss: a commander pushed out of the military now fighting to return to Washington as an elected official.
Stay informed on the stories that matter most. Follow Palmedia News on Facebook and bookmark palmedianews.com for breaking news and analysis.