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Nancy Lacore, Admiral Fired by Pete Hegseth, Projected to Flip GOP Seat
Newsweek • • nation
Key Points:
- Democrat Nancy Lacore, a retired three-star Navy admiral fired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is projected to flip South Carolina's 1st Congressional District, a seat President Trump won by 13 points in 2024.
- Lacore defeated Republican Jenny Costa Honeycutt after a competitive race for the open seat vacated by Republican Nancy Mace, who unsuccessfully ran for governor.
- Lacore leveraged her military background and criticized Hegseth's Pentagon leadership and politicization of the military during her campaign, resonating in a traditionally Republican district.
- Her victory represents a significant political setback for Hegseth, potentially giving Lacore a congressional platform to continue challenging his management of the Defense Department.
- The race had become highly competitive, with Lacore outraising Honeycutt by a wide margin and winning the Democratic nomination after a runoff, marking a notable Democratic gain in a GOP-leaning district.
