Honeycutt Secures SC-1 Bid
Jenny Costa Honeycutt wins GOP runoff, nears replacing Nancy Mace in South Carolina's 1st District.
Jenny Costa Honeycutt won the Republican runoff in South Carolina's 1st Congressional District on June 23, defeating state Rep. Mark Smith to become the GOP nominee, according to Fox News. She will now face retired Navy Vice Admiral Nancy Lacore in the November 3 general election for the seat vacated by Rep. Nancy Mace, who chose to run for governor instead.
The race is drawing national attention. The Cook Political Report recently downgraded SC-01 from 'Solid Republican' to 'Likely Republican,' signaling the seat — held by Republicans for over 45 years — may be more competitive than usual, reports WTOC.
How Honeycutt Beat Smith in a Crowded Field
Ten Republicans entered the race after Mace stepped aside. In the June 9 primary, Honeycutt led with 22.1% of the vote while Smith finished second with 18.0%, according to Fox News. Neither crossed the 50% threshold needed to win outright, forcing a runoff. On June 23, Honeycutt was declared the winner at around 9:15 PM after taking an early lead once polls closed at 7:00 PM.
Honeycutt is a James Island native, attorney, and Charleston County Councilwoman who has served since 2019. She co-manages a law firm focused on construction law. After advancing to the runoff, she said she was 'so incredibly humbled' by the turnout, per WTOC. Smith, a state representative and funeral home CEO, had attacked Honeycutt over a local tax vote during her time on the County Council.
Nancy Mace's Exit Left a Republican Power Vacuum
Nancy Mace flipped SC-01 back to the GOP in 2020, becoming the first woman to graduate from The Citadel. She opted not to seek re-election, running for governor instead. That bid collapsed — she finished a distant 5th in the GOP gubernatorial primary on June 9, according to Fox News. Her departure left the seat open for the first time since 2013.
The district covers South Carolina's coastline, including Charleston and Beaufort. It has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+6, meaning it leans reliably Republican. The only recent Democratic win came in 2018, when Joe Cunningham won by just one point — a result Mace reversed two years later.
Democratic Veteran Lacore Brings Outside Money and Military Credentials
Honeycutt's general election opponent is Nancy Lacore, a retired Navy Vice Admiral with over 30 years of service. Lacore is backed by national groups including EMILY's List and VoteVets, which alone dropped $300,000 on a digital ad buy in the district, according to Fox News. Lacore's campaign has framed her as offering 'mission-first leadership' to cut through Washington dysfunction.
By contrast, Honeycutt reported just over $120,000 raised ahead of the primary. The fundraising gap, combined with Lacore's national support, is part of why analysts see this race as competitive. The DCCC accused the GOP field of being 'more focused on serving Washington than serving the people of South Carolina,' per WTOC.
Cook Report Downgrade Puts National GOP on Alert
On June 18 — five days before the runoff — the Cook Political Report moved SC-01 from 'Solid Republican' to 'Likely Republican,' citing the open-seat status and what it called a 'harrowing political environment' for the GOP, according to Fox News. That shift signals that national Republicans may now need to spend money defending a seat they once considered safe.
Primary turnout topped 25% statewide — the highest for a South Carolina primary since 2010, per WTOC. Analysts say November's result will be a test of whether military-focused Democrats can win in high-income coastal districts. The median household income in SC-01 is $95,136. A Lacore win would echo the 2018 upset and put coastal Republican districts across the country on notice.
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