Lacore Claims Victory in South Carolina House Race

Former Navy vice admiral Nancy Lacore leads Jenny Costa Honeycutt by about 1 percentage point in unofficial results from South Carolina's 1st Congressional District.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Military

Lacore Claims Victory in South Carolina House Race

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Nancy Lacore declared victory on Wednesday, November 4, in South Carolina's 1st Congressional District after unofficial results showed her ahead of Jenny Costa Honeycutt by more than 3,300 votes. The Associated Press had not called the race in its latest reports, and Honeycutt's campaign contacted Lacore to concede.

Why it matters

The race is closely watched because Lacore, a retired Navy officer, says she was removed from her senior Navy position by Pete Hegseth without cause in August 2025, a move that now sits alongside her congressional bid. South Carolina's automatic recount threshold is one percentage point, and Lacore's unofficial margin is just above it.

Lacore leads by more than 3,300 votes and 1.01 percentage points in unofficial results, just above South Carolina's 1 percentage point automatic recount threshold. Trump carried the district by 13 percentage points in 2024, and official certification has not yet occurred.

The players

Nancy Lacore

A retired U.S. Navy vice admiral who served 35 years and became Chief of Navy Reserve before running for Congress.

Jenny Costa Honeycutt

The Democratic candidate who ran against Lacore in South Carolina's 1st Congressional District.

Pete Hegseth

The U.S. Secretary of Defense who removed Lacore from her senior Navy position in August 2025.

Kizzie Scott

The county election director overseeing the ballot count in the affected county.

The details

A technical problem in Dorchester County required rescanning approximately 5,500 ballots after a faulty memory stick affected a voting machine, delaying the count. County election director Kizzie Scott said all ballots have since been counted. Lacore, who rose to vice admiral and oversaw about 59,000 Navy Reserve personnel after taking charge in August 2024, said she was removed from her Navy position without cause.

August 2024: Lacore took charge of the Navy Reserve.
August 22, 2025: Hegseth removed Lacore from her Navy position.
January 2026: Lacore announced her congressional campaign.
November 4, 2026: Lacore declared victory in the race.
January 2027: Lacore is expected to take office when the new Congress convenes, if certified.

Season Trajectory

The unofficial margin sits just above the one-point automatic recount threshold, a line that could reshape the outcome if results tighten. Against Trump's 13-point 2024 margin in the district, the narrow lead marks a sharp departure from the seat's usual Republican cushion.

If the result holds, Lacore takes office in January 2027 when the new Congress convenes. Voters in the district should watch for official certification, since a margin tightening to one percentage point or less would trigger an automatic recount.

The takeaway

The narrow count underscores how a single faulty memory stick can delay an entire race. Final certification, not the unofficial tally, will determine who represents the district.