Lacore claims SC-01 victory, says Costa Honeycutt conceded race

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — While the votes aren’t all in and the race has not yet been called, everyone involved has now agreed: the Lowcountry voted to send in the admiral.

Retired Rear Admiral Nancy Lacore, the Democratic candidate for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, claimed victory after Tuesday night’s election, confirming Republican Jenny Costa Honeycutt’s campaign contacted her to concede the race.

“In a district Donald Trump won by 13 points just two years ago, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents came together to demand something better from Washington. We have a lot of work to do in Congress and change isn’t going to happen overnight. But I will always be focused on serving with integrity and results,” Lacore said Wednesday morning. “I am grateful and humbled by the Lowcountry’s trust in me, and I look forward to delivering for them in Congress.”

Lacore began her campaign in the Lowcountry in the months after being one of many ousted from their military positions by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, a prominent member of President Donald Trump’s administration.

“The Lowcountry doesn’t need more political theater. You need a representative who will roll up their sleeves and get to work. So when I get there, I’ll work with anyone who’s serious about tackling these issues, cleaning up Congress, and giving South Carolina families a better future,” she said. “To those who didn’t vote for me, I want you to know that I’ll work just as hard for you. [Tuesday night], the Lowcountry came together and proved that you don’t have to agree on everything to agree that Congress needs to change. Tomorrow, we get to work changing it.”

Lacore will take over a seat held by Congresswoman Nancy Mace, who issued Lacore her own congratulations Wednesday morning.

Congratulations to Congresswoman-elect Nancy LaCore on her win last night, and to all of South Carolina’s newly elected officials. Serving the people of South Carolina is a tremendous responsibility. I wish each of them success as they begin this next chapter of public service. Our office is committed to ensuring a smooth transition because serving our constituents comes FIRST. Anyone who needs help can reach us anytime at mace.house.gov/constituentservices. It has been the honor of my lifetime to serve South Carolina. I will continue to work hard for the Lowcountry until my very last day.

Nancy Mace (R) SC-01

Lacore said her experience working with Congress during her military career has prepared her to work with both parties in Washington.

She said securing funding for the Navy Reserve required building relationships with Republicans and Democrats, and she plans to take the same approach in Congress.

“You have to meet in the middle. I believe we’ll be able to do that. That is how I’ve operated in my entire career. I’ve already worked with Congress. I’ve already worked with both Republicans and Democrats to get the appropriations that we needed for the Navy Reserve when I was Chief of the Navy Reserve. I’ll just continue that type of dialogue with everybody,” Lacore said.

Lacore also pointed to the results of Tuesday’s elections, saying she believes Democrats will have a profound opportunity to advance their priorities in Congress.

“We have a majority in the House. Looks like we have a significant majority in the Senate as well. So I think we’ll have some real power. I know, of course, the President will have veto authority, but people are ready to make life better in the United States, and I think that’s very clear by the results that we saw from across the country. And I look forward to working with them and delivering for the Lowcountry,” Lacore said.

Lacore, as it stood Wednesday morning with 98.9% of the votes counted, has a 1.1% lead over Costa Honeycutt. If that margin holds or grows, it will be greater than the threshold for a recount, finalizing Lacore’s victory.

In that case, it will only grow the House majority Democrats cinched nationwide Tuesday night in what analysts have called a sweeping rebuke of the Trump administration.

With the number of women in the House expected to surpass 100 following Tuesday’s election, Lacore says being a woman in a historically male-dominated field has never changed how she approaches the job. She says she plans to work with anyone, regardless of party or background, to deliver for her district.

“I never cared if I was one of 10 or one of 100 in my squadron. That didn’t make a difference to me, and it won’t make a difference to me here. I can work with anybody, and I will work with anybody I need to, to deliver on what I’ve been talking about since January,” Lacore said.