COLUMBIA, S.C. — The fight to see who will face off to replace Rep. Nancy Mace continues. Both the Republican and Democratic primaries for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District are headed for runoffs, set for June 23.

No candidate had adequate votes to win outright, according to reporting on scvotes.org, and all results are unofficial at this time.

Military veterans Mac Deford and Nancy Lacore will battle for the Democratic nomination, according to projections by the Associated Press, while state representative Mark Smith and Charleston County Councilwoman Jenny Costa Honeycutt will fight to be the Republican candidate in November.

A Republican primary runoff debate is already scheduled for June 17, hosted by Live 5 WCSC in Charleston.

Jenny Costa Honeycutt leads for Republican primary, heads to runoff

Costa Honeycutt, a James Island native, led the night for the Republican candidates, but was not able to get a majority of votes. At 11:30 p.m. an estimated 99% of ballots had been counted across all counties, according to the Associated Press. She pulled in strong support from voters in Charleston County.

“I am so incredibly humbled,” Costa Honeycutt said. “You hope your message is resonating with voters but a turnout like tonight is so affirming.” She confirmed she will be attending the Republican runoff debate June 17.

She has campaigned on a platform of prioritizing local needs, advocating for conservative stances on abortion and LGBTQ+ issues and opposing immigration. Costa Honeycutt is a fiscal conservative, and says she will combat financial waste in government programs.

Honeycutt was elected to Charleston County Council in 2019 and co-manages Costa Honeycutt law firm, which primarily focuses on representing construction firms.

She ended the pre-primary filing period with more than $120,000, according to FEC data.

Smith narrowly reaches runoff

Smith, R-Berkeley, made the Republican runoff by a slim margin against competitor Dr. Sam McCown.

“We knew all along it would probably end in a runoff,” Smith said, referring to the large pool of candidates in the primary race. “We’ve been building with our campaign what a runoff strategy would look like.”

That strategy includes a budget of $200,000 for voter outreach in the runoff election, Smith said. He ended the pre-primary filing period with more than $210,000 on hand, according to FEC data.

He confirmed he would attend the June 17 debate against Costa Honeycutt.

Smith is a Bamberg native who has emphasized his experience as a state lawmaker and business owner since entering the race in August 2025, shortly after Mace officially started running for governor.

A staunch Trump supporter, Smith’s campaign is centered on traditional conservative issues, backing the president’s policy decisions and supporting tax cuts. He served on the Mount Pleasant town council before being elected to the Statehouse.

Smith said he would have “President Trump’s back,” in an Aug. 21 launch video.

He represents parts of Mount Pleasant, Hanahan, Goose Creek, Daniel Island and the Cainhoy Peninsula in the South Carolina House of Representatives. The entirety of his state House district falls within the 1st Congressional District.

Smith is the only candidate to have served in the state legislature.

Deford and Lacore jostle for Democratic nomination in runoff

Deford spent the night at a watch party with supporters at Hobcaw Brewing Company in Mount Pleasant.

“We feel really good,” Deford said on making the runoff. “This race is about a choice between a candidate who has served here and lived here for a long time, and someone who just got here.”

Lacore moved to Mount Pleasant in October 2025, reported News From the States.

Deford said he plans to debate Lacore and has been approached by multiple outlets to do so. He said that he feels confident in his finances headed into the runoff election.

Deford, a local attorney, is running for the Democratic nomination on a message of government accountability and pragmatism.

His campaign has promised solutions over pageantry, particularly in regard to health care costs and general affordability.

While representing local governments in Mount Pleasant and Hilton Head Island, Deford litigated for the preservation of Gullah Geechee communities and environmental protections for coastal areas. He previously served as a federal law enforcement officer in the Charleston area.

He argues that public trust in Washington is eroding due to a lack of accountability for politicians.

Deford has also criticized South Carolina’s delegation in Congress for not opposing Trump’s military operation in Venezuela, acknowledging former Venezuelan president Nicolas Máduro’s history of human rights abuses but denouncing the government for overreach.

“The President has no legal justification under U.S. law or international law to launch military action or force regime change without congressional authorization,” Deford told ABC News 4 in January.

Deford ended the pre-primary reporting period with more than $140,000 on hand, according to FEC data.

Lacore said her entry into the run-off was a sign that “people are ready for change,” and felt her experience in the federal government would give her an advantage over Deford.

“I’m the only candidate that has worked at the federal level, Republican or Democrat,” she said. “I have relationships on both sides of the aisle.”

She confirmed she has been approached by multiple outlets regarding a runoff debate. The State has reached out to the South Carolina Democratic Party about plans to host a potential debate ahead of the runoff.

Lacore is a former Navy admiral and retired chief of the Navy Reserve who has centered her campaign on a few key issues, including bipartisan leadership, protecting the Lowcountry’s coastline and lowering housing costs.

After retiring from the Navy Reserve, she became a defense contractor and leader of recently closed non-profit Valor Run.

She has led the Democratic nominees in fundraising, and had more than $400,000 on hand at the end of the pre-primary filing period, according to FEC data. That surplus of cash might prove useful in reaching voters ahead of the runoff election.

Lacore was dismissed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth after more than 30 years in the Navy and two deployments. She says was given no reason for her removal.

17 Republicans and Democrats campaigned to replace Mace after she joined the race for governor of South Carolina and declined to run for reelection. She represents South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, which includes all or parts of six Lowcountry counties, including Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester.

Mace defeated Democrat Michael B. Moore by a margin of more than 16% in 2024.

The set salary for a member of the U.S. House of Representatives is $174,000 a year, according to House data.

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