Navy Veteran Nancy Lacore Advances to South Carolina House Runoff

Nancy Lacore, a retired three-star Navy vice admiral, will face Coast Guard veteran and local attorney Mac Deford in the June 23 Democratic runoff for South Carolina's 1st Congressional District. Neither candidate received a majority of votes in the June 9 primary, according to results reported by The Hill, The New York Times and Fox News.

Lacore was relieved of her duties on August 22, 2025, along with two other senior officers in an action taken by the defense secretary. No public explanation was provided for her dismissal at the time. She raised more than $1.4 million through late May, according to a New York Times analysis of federal campaign finance records. Deford had raised $547,800 by the same point.

District The seat became open after the Republican incumbent chose not to seek re-election and instead run for governor. The district has been held by Republicans since 1981, except for a two-year period between 2019 and 2021. Lacore is backed by several veterans' groups and Emily's List.

She is also one of 12 House candidates supported by the Bench, a Democratic strategy group.

previously served as associate general counsel for the Town of Mount Pleasant. In his campaign video he stated that running for Congress is not a political stop for him. The eventual Democratic nominee faces an uphill battle in a district the Republican incumbent won by double digits in each of the last two elections.