Published by TrenBuzz.com | June 10, 2026 | ELECTION NIGHT BREAKING
Key Points at a Glance
- Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, fired by Pete Hegseth in August 2025, advanced to a June 23 runoff in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District Democratic primary.
- She will face veteran attorney Mac Deford in the runoff for the seat vacated by Nancy Mace.
- Lacore was removed alongside dozens of other military leaders, including Defense Intelligence Agency chief Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse.
- She led over 60,000 sailors as the 16th Chief of Navy Reserve during her 35 years of service.
- The district carries an R+6 Cook Political Report rating, making it deeply challenging for any Democrat.
- Hegseth took his family to Normandy for D-Day commemorations this week, adding to his ongoing public controversies.
She served for 35 years. She flew Navy helicopters, rose through the ranks, and commanded 60,000 sailors. Then on a Friday in August 2025, Pete Hegseth had her walked out of the Pentagon. Now she’s running for Congress in his party’s backyard.
“It was pretty miserable, to be honest,” Lacore told The Bulwark about the day she was fired. “I never put the uniform on again after leaving the Pentagon. It just changed everything. Other than the personal insult that it felt like to me, I was like, ‘Holy shit.’ We gotta move. We just bought a house.”
What Hegseth’s Purge Looked Like From the Inside
Hegseth fired Lacore and a slew of other senior military officials in August 2025, including Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, who oversaw the Defense Intelligence Agency’s assessment of US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. A Pentagon officer declined to comment on Lacore’s assertion she was fired without cause.
Why She Decided to Run
Lacore said she “can’t stand by while Americans and South Carolinians are struggling.” She broadly criticized elected officials in Washington for caring “more about party politics than standing up for the Constitution.” “Our leaders in Congress are not working for us,” she said in her announcement video.
The June 23 Runoff Stakes
Lacore’s campaign has leaned heavily on the contrast between that firing and her 35 years in the Navy. The coastal Lowcountry seat, which runs from Charleston to Hilton Head Island, was redrawn in 2021 to be more Republican. The district is rated R+6 by Cook Political Report, making it one of the clearest tests of whether a military biography and a high-profile Pentagon dismissal can still persuade moderate Republicans and independents.
Hegseth’s Latest Controversy: D-Day Family Trip
Pete Hegseth flew to France with his wife Jennifer and six of their children for D-Day commemorations on June 6, arriving on the “doomsday plane,” also known as the flying Pentagon. Social media users quickly criticized the trip as appearing more like a family vacation than an official government mission.
Nancy Lacore did not put her uniform back on after leaving the Pentagon. She put on a campaign shirt instead. On June 23, South Carolina voters will decide if that trade-off was worth it.
Disclaimer: This article is for general informational and news reporting purposes only. All primary results, military facts, and quotes are sourced from The Hill, KOTA Radio, WFMD, Prism News, Military.com, The Bulwark, and AOL as of June 9, 2026. Primary results are unofficial pending certification. TrenBuzz.com does not endorse any political candidate or party. Readers are encouraged to follow official South Carolina election authority sources for certified results.