Fired Navy Admiral Nancy Lacore Announces Bid for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District

CHARLESTON, SC (VINnews)- A retired three-star U.S. Navy admiral, who was removed from her position as Chief of the Navy Reserve by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in 2025, has launched a campaign for Congress in South Carolina’s 1st District.

Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore (Ret.), a 35-year Navy veteran who began her career as a helicopter pilot and rose to lead the Navy Reserve, announced her Democratic candidacy on Tuesday. The seat, which includes Charleston and coastal areas, is open after incumbent Republican Rep. Nancy Mace announced her run for governor.

“After decades of service to our country, a career that started as a Navy pilot and finished as a three-star admiral, I was removed from my position without cause,” Lacore said in an X post and video announcing her campaign. “I still have more to give, more to fight for, more work to do — and I am not done serving.”

Lacore was dismissed in August 2025 alongside other senior officers, including Rear Adm. Milton Sands of Naval Special Warfare Command and Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse of the Defense Intelligence Agency. The Defense Department provided no detailed explanation at the time, citing a “loss of confidence” in line with several high-profile personnel changes under Secretary Hegseth. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Lacore’s claim of being fired without cause.

The 1st District is a right-leaning seat that supported President Donald Trump in both 2020 and 2024. Democrats see potential for a competitive race in a favorable cycle, similar to 2018 when Joe Cunningham flipped the district before losing it back to Mace in 2020.

Lacore quickly received endorsements from EMILYs List, which supports pro-choice Democratic women candidates, and The Bench, a Democratic group focused on competitive districts. EMILYs List praised her as a “lifelong public servant and Navy veteran” who prioritizes “results over political theater” and is positioned to appeal to the district’s educated and veteran-heavy electorate.

She enters a growing Democratic primary field that includes Coast Guard veteran Mac Deford (who ran in 2024), Max Diaz, Matthew Fulmer, Mayra Rivera-Vazquez, and others. On the Republican side, candidates include physician Sam McCown, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Alex Pelbath (who piloted the final U.S. flight out of Kabul in 2021), Mark Smith, State Reo, and several more, with up to 10 Republicans in the mix according to recent reports.

The June 2026 primary will determine nominees for the November general election in this increasingly crowded and high-stakes race. Lacore’s entry highlights ongoing tensions from recent military leadership changes and positions her as a veteran-focused candidate emphasizing national security and service over partisanship.