A senior Navy official removed from her post by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last year is running for Congress.
Nancy Lacore, who served in the Navy for 35 years as a Navy helicopter pilot, three-star admiral and the chief of the Navy Reserve, announced a run for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District on Tuesday.
“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. I still have more to give, more to fight for, more work to do — and I am not done serving,” the now-retired officer said in an X post announcing her campaign.
Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, Chief of Navy Reserve presides over a change of command ceremony aboard Naval Station Norfolk, on June 27, 2025.
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tyra M. Watson
Lacore was removed in August, along with Rear Adm. Milton Sands, who led the Naval Special Warfare Command, and Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, who led the Defense Intelligence Agency and oversaw the DIA’s preliminary assessment of the U.S. strike on Iranian nuclear sites.
The Defense Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday when asked about Lacore’s claim she was fired without cause.
South Carolina’s 1st District, a right-leaning seat that includes Charleston, was won by President Donald Trump in 2024 and 2020. The seat is currently represented by Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, who is running for governor of South Carolina.
Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, Chief of Navy Reserve delivers remarks during a change of command ceremony aboard Naval Station Norfolk, on June 27, 2025.
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tyra M. Watson
Democrats believe the seat could be in play in a wave election year for the party, like in 2018, when Democrat Joe Cunningham flipped the seat as Democrats retook the majority.
After her announcement, Lacore was endorsed by EMILYs List, a liberal group that works to elect women to higher office, and The Bench, a new Democratic group boosting a range of candidates in competitive districts.
She joins a crowded Democratic primary field, including Coast Guard veteran Mac Deford, who lost the 2024 Democratic primary race.
On the Republican side, physician Sam McCown, State Reo, Mark Smith and Alex Pelbath, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who flew the final American flight out of Kabul, Afghanistan in 2021, are competing in the June primary.
