A Navy admiral that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed out of uniform is now one step away from a seat in Congress. Retired Vice Admiral Nancy Lacore advanced Tuesday night to a June 23 runoff in the Democratic primary for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District – the seat Republican Nancy Mace is vacating to run for governor.
Lacore, a 35-year veteran who rose from Navy pilot all the way to Chief of the Navy Reserve, was one of dozens of senior military leaders Hegseth removed last August. She has called her firing “without cause.” Rather than retreat into a quiet retirement, she put her name on a ballot – and enough Democratic voters responded to send her into a one-on-one runoff.
From the Navy Reserve to the Ballot Box
Lacore’s career spanned more than three decades. She started as a naval aviator and climbed the ranks to vice admiral, eventually serving as chief of the Navy Reserve – one of the most senior positions a reservist can hold. That trajectory made her one of the highest-ranking women in the service before she was abruptly removed in a sweeping shakeup of military leadership.
The August purge removed dozens of senior officers in a short span, and critics argued the moves looked less like routine personnel decisions and more like a political housecleaning at the top of the armed forces. Lacore has been blunt about how she sees it: she says she was pushed out without justification, and she has turned that grievance into the central argument of her campaign.
What Happened Tuesday
No candidate in the Democratic primary cleared the 50 percent threshold needed to win outright, which under South Carolina law triggers a runoff between the top two finishers. Lacore and local attorney Mac Deford emerged as those two candidates. They will now face each other head-to-head on June 23, with the winner becoming the Democratic nominee in November.
The seat opened up because Mace, a Republican who has represented the coastal district, is leaving the House to run for governor. That created a rare open-seat contest in a district that does not change hands often.
A Steep Climb in a Red District
It is worth being clear-eyed about the odds. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates South Carolina’s 1st District as solidly Republican. Winning the Democratic nomination is not the same as winning the seat, and whoever emerges from the June 23 runoff will be the underdog in the general election. The district has favored Republicans for years.
Lacore knows the math. Her pitch leans into her record of service rather than partisan politics – she casts herself as a career public servant who spent her life serving the country, not a party. Whether that framing can move voters in a district drawn to favor the GOP is the open question her campaign now confronts.
What This Means for Americans
The symbolism is hard to miss. An admiral removed by the Pentagon’s civilian leadership is now asking voters to return her to public life on her own terms. Her candidacy raises a question that reaches well beyond one House district: when senior officials are removed in a wave of politically charged firings, what recourse do they have – and what does it say about accountability when one of them answers at the ballot box?
Stay informed on the stories that matter most. Follow Your Daily Updates on Facebook and bookmark yourdailyupdates.news for breaking news and analysis.