♪ opening music ♪ Welcome to "This Week In South Carolina."

I'm Gavin Jackson.

This week we continue our coverage of Election 2026 with a look at the candidates that are running to replace Congresswoman Nancy Mace in the first Congressional District.

The district runs from Georgetown County down to Hilton Head and inland to nearby counties.

It is considered to be the most competitive of the seven districts, though it is currently rated as likely Republican by Cook Political Report.

Running to replace Mace is Republican Charleston County Councilwoman Jenny Honeycutt and Democrat retired Vice Admiral Nancy Lacore.

I spoke with Councilwoman Honeycutt at her law office in James Island and opened by asking her about her family life.

Well, nothing in my family life's changed other than we've all gotten a lot older.

But I will tell you this, the area itself still has the same unique charm that made growing up here so special.

I used to spend my days out on the water with my dad or duck hunting.

You know, I think a lot of the changes have really brought people here who are drawn to the quality of life we've been able to enjoy.

And so one of the most important hings I think we can do is preserve that quality of life for the future.

Jackson> And you've juggled three kids, you have three?

Honeycutt> I have three and a daughter in-law now.

Jackson> A law practice, then also being, what, seven years on county council?

Honeycutt> Eight years now.

Jackson> So how do you, how does that work?

How do you do all of that?

Honeycutt> Well, listen, it takes a great family partnership.

So I have an incredible husband, my high school sweetheart.

We've been married for 25 years.

And, you know, you take things as they come, and if they mean something to you, they're worth investing in.

And so, while I have a small business here on the island where I help other small business owners, I really think it's important to give back to your community.

And so, serving on county council has been one of the most, exciting things I've gotten to do.

And I am proud to be able to make that sacrifice.

Jackson> And, Councilwoman, tell me, what got you involved in joining council in the first place?

And what would you maybe say one of your biggest accomplishments is serving there for eight years?

Honeycutt> So my goal was very simple: safe roads, smart growth and sound leadership.

We have grown so much and we have actually delivered results on those safer roads.

Currently we have in Charleston County, the largest project of its size ever in the state of South Carolina, almost a half billion dollar intersection improvement at Main and 17 to provide real relief, to people across the south end of the district.

And so, whether it's an intersection improvement or a new roundabout or just new sidewalks connecting neighborhoods, that improves the quality of life for people, those are the things I'm most proud of.

Jackson> I mean, it's interesting, too.

I mean, you grew up here, you really have that investment here, and then you said, I want to go on council to represent these folks.

And now, you're trying to go to Congress to represent the same area you grew up in.

Tell me about what prompted you to take this next step here.

Honeycutt> Well, really, it's a personal story.

My son, called him, he's now married, and he said he was going to move to a smaller town in South Carolina where things were more affordable.

And I realized that it's going to take more than what I've been able to do at the local level.

There's things that need to be solved at the federal level to address these issues as well.

And while I'm incredibly proud of what we've accomplished with affordable housing, in other efforts to make life more affordable here in the low country, I realize that we need a good federal partner to help achieve those objectives.

And so, really, that's the reason I am running to serve the people I love and the place I call home.

Jackson> And you've been here your whole life.

I've talked about it.

You've seen the growth.

Is it too much?

How do you make it so it's done smartly?

And how do you, again, like you're talking about, make it so people can stick around here, so it is affordable for more folks to move here.

Honeycutt> So there's two things you have to balance.

There's private property rights and entitlements that folks have had.

There have been projects entitled since the 80s, where that development may just be coming online.

And so people who just got here 40 years after, are really concerned about why are we continuing to develop in these really crowded areas.

At the same time, we have an obligation to not, what we call up zone areas or add more burden.

And so that's exactly what I've done on county council.

We have balanced that.

We protect private property rights, while at the same time, we protect areas of the county that really should be preserved and conserved for the future.

So we have an award winning program in conservation through our greenbelt program.

And really, we are looking right now, on October 1st, our chairman wrote a letter.

The county is about to invest in its largest greenbelt project ever to preserve over 5700 acres at the south end of the county.

Again, results I'm incredibly proud of.

Jackson> So what do you do when you get the Congress in to help?

I mean, you've seen the local level.

You know how it works.

I mean, you haven't done the State House level, but you're stepping up to the federal level.

But you know how that money comes down.

And that's really where it hits the road, right?

We're talking about, you know, obviously, how much taxes or how much property taxes are and what needs to be done on the smallest level.

I'm sure people are always calling you asking about certain roads and things, but what can you do when you get to Congress, especially if it's a divided Congress?

You know, how is that going to work to get stuff back to the little country?

Honeycutt> Well, the most important question I will ask myself in every policy decision at the federal level is what's best for the Lowcountry?

And really where I see that being an issue, most, I think that people know how to spend their money best.

So every opportunity I have to help people keep the money they've earned, whether that's reducing taxes or lowering fees and costs in any other area, we're going to try to do that.

But at the same time, the federal government does collect taxes from every resident in the Lowcountry, and we need to make sure that those resources are coming back here.

And for a long time, we haven't done that.

And so I want to serve on the committees that allow us to develop partnerships at the local level, to bring those resources home, to accomplish those objectives that I've been working so hard at the local level to do.

Jackson> I mean, everyone wants to be on appropriations, but if you don't get appropriations, where do you see maybe, or what committee assignment would make sense for you?

Honeycutt> I think for the priorities of this region, it's clear, it's transportation and infrastructure, T. and I. and so I will be working again, regardless of whether we get on appropriations, where there is a T. and I. subcommittee, or on the T. and I. committee itself, we will be working to make sure that we're able to deliver, for the residents of the Lowcountry; not just infrastructure, but whether it's flooding relief, whether it's beach renourishment, all of those issues that we face that are unique to this coastal area.

Jackson> So does that mean supporting earmarks too, to bring back money for the district?

Honeycutt> Absolutely.

Congress is responsible for the budget.

The fact that we have delegated that responsibility over to federal agencies in a bureaucracy that hands it out in the form of grants, doesn't provide accountability.

And so I think that people should be, members of Congress, should be accountable for where we're putting every dollar of spending in the federal government.

And then when it comes back to, we're talking about these top issues, talking about growth, we're talking about infrastructure.

Do you see those as the biggest issues for SC-01?

What other issues are you focused on that you think need to be addressed that maybe haven't been in the past?

Well, I would say the most important sort of nationwide issue is affordability and where we are with our national debt.

And so in addition to these transportation issues that we need to address specific to the region, I think our inflation is our biggest cost driver right now.

It's what's driving inflation.

And until we get it under control, we are going to continue to see the insolvency of major programs, right on the horizon.

And so, we've got to make tough decisions about how and where to spend.

So again, putting those resources in the right place for the Lowcountry.

But we can get, when we can give those resources back to the taxpayers of the Lowcountry, we also want to do that.

It's a difficult balance.

Jackson> So how do you, how do you make those solutions, especially when we look at, you know, Social Security getting, possibly insolvent in a couple of years?

You know, Medicare is really having difficulties.

We're talking about that huge debt.

What's it, 40 some trillion dollars at this point?

I mean, is it going to be like you're saying, tough cuts?

I mean, where do we start making these decisions?

We had to raise retirement ages.

What do you see being some of these solutions?

Honeycutt> I want to be really clear about programs where beneficiaries are already relying.

Promises made, promises kept.

It is not, a solution to cut any of those benefits that people rely on.

However, as young people as the next generation, we have to make the decision, are we going to reform this in a way that makes it sustainable for the future, for our children?

Again, I'm running because I want to protect and preserve this place and make the Lowcountry dream a possibility for my own children and everyone else's.

Jackson> And when we talk about that, we also want to talk about a big issue, too that's affecting the entire country.

Talking about data centers, there's been discussion, you know, down in Colleton County, Spartanburg, all over the state.

There's been resistance to it as well.

Where do you land when it comes to data centers and what do you think needs to be done at the federal level?

Obviously been dealing with some of this on the county level across the state, but does there need to be a moratorium?

What do you think needs to be done?

Is there going to be more regulation so we know what kind of resources are being used for these massive projects?

Where do you land on this?

Honeycutt> So I think two things can be true at once here.

Number one, we cannot fall behind in the digital revolution.

We see with A.I.

Our foreign adversaries want nothing more than for us to stop building data centers so they can capture and take all of our data through their data centers.

On the other hand, this is a very local issue.

So there are localities who say, hey, we want a data center in our brownfield or in our area that's very industrial that we are trying to, bring back.

And so there are areas where it would be appropriate.

There are other areas that are protected within, in particular South Carolina, where local localities would not put a data center.

And so the other chief thing we have to say is to the data center community, you bring and pay your own way.

So whether that's power, whether that's water and making sure they're on a closed system so that our water stays protected.

I literally, I think they should be the ones putting power back on the grid.

And so again, those are challenging decisions that local governments have to make.

But there are some local governments who could wipe out property taxes entirely with the construction of one data center, in their communities.

And so, again, residents need to be able to come to the table in that process, but we also have to realize that we need to stay in this race, otherwise, our foreign adversaries are going to take advantage of us here, and we definitely don't want that.

Jackson> And, Councilman, just kind of wrapping up here, Congressman Nancy Mace has represented SC-01 for what, three terms, now, so it's safe to say there's a different approach to politics between both of you.

She's not running again.

Obviously, she ran for governor.

It didn't work out.

But, how would you operate in Congress?

We were just talking about that.

Should the Democrats take back over, what is your governing style?

What would you be doing?

Would you be working across the aisle?

How would you operate in Congress?

Honeycutt> And so this is an important area where I have a record.

I have a reputation for being a problem solver and a consensus builder.

And so, I'm going up to Washington to work with whoever is going to do what's best for the Lowcountry.

Jackson> And then also, you know, this has been an interesting development in your life, going from council to now Congress.

What's it been like on the campaign trail?

What have you maybe learned taking away?

What's it been like for you?

Honeycutt> I love campaigning.

I love meeting new people.

I enjoy traveling the district.

Seriously, we have the most beautiful district in the country.

And so many of my colleagues, around the country, want to come here and spend time in the Lowcountry.

And so I have just gained a new, broader appreciation for what an incredible place we have and how important it is that we preserve it for the future.

Jackson> Councilwoman Jenny Honeycutt thank you so much.

Appreciate it.

Honeycutt> Thank you.

On the Democratic side is retired Vice Admiral Nancy Lacore, who served 35 years in the military flying helicopters in the Navy before abruptly being fired as chief of the Navy Reserve.

I asked her what originally got her interested in military service.

My dad got me motivated to serve.

He had served in the Navy, and he encouraged me when I was in high school to apply for an R.O.T.C.

scholarship.

And I did not really knowing much about the military because I never saw him, you know, serving.

He had stopped before I was born.

But I was like, well, I'll give it a try.

And the rest was history.

I mean, I liked it.

As soon as I got in college, I like the camaraderie, I like the challenge, I like the leadership aspect of it.

And, you know, when I finished college, I got commissioned, went into flight school, became a helicopter pilot, and stayed for 35 years.

Jackson> I was gonna say, it's super fascinating to see that because, I mean, women in Navy aviation especially was not really a thing in the 90s.

I mean, what was that like?

Lacore> Yeah, I mean, it's single digit percentage.

It's less than 10 percent of women.

I don't think it's much higher than that now, to be honest.

It was a little more restrictive in what we could fly back then.

You know, tactical jets, like, were not open to us.

Just like, you know, combat ships were not open to us, and those eventually, opened up.

But, you know, I don't know, it didn't really make a difference to me.

It was what I was used to.

I had nothing to compare it to.

And I felt very welcomed and, you know, I just really focused on being the best pilot that I could be.

Jackson> So walk me through that career, those 35 years and starting there and then where you ended up at the end.

Lacore> Yeah.

So, as a helicopter pilot, I deployed to longer deployments on ships.

I did that for about ten years flying helicopters on active duty, and then I transitioned to the reserve.

My husband was also a helicopter pilot, and we were finding it hard to manage orders, you know, and we also wanted to have a large family.

And I had a lot more flexibility if I went into the reserve side, so that's what I did after the ten year mark.

Got active <Ten year active> That's right, ten years active duty and then the rest was reserve.

I got activated and sent to Afghanistan for almost a year.

Four years later, I was sent to Djibouti for almost a year.

Those are unaccompanied tours.

You know, my husband managed all six kids while I was gone for those periods.

And then ultimately, I became, you know, I found out I was selected for Admiral while I was in Djibouti, and, ultimately became Chief of Naval Reserve, a three star admiral.

Jackson> What did you do during your time in Afghanistan?

When was that?

Lacore> Afghanistan?

That was 2012.

My role was, key leader engagements.

So we orchestrated, strategic level meetings and communications for the highest level of generals that we had in the theater, along with the highest levels of the Afghanistan government.

Jackson> So, I mean, just everything and then also juggling and family, too, at the same time, it seems like it seems like you enjoy challenges.

Lacore> I like to be busy.

Yes.

Yeah.

Jackson> And then 35 years of that and then jump to last August and walk me through what happened with how your career came to an abrupt end.

Lacore> Yeah, it was a Friday afternoon.

I was, you know, just doing my job at the Pentagon.

And I got a call to come down to the senior Navy four star who was running the Navy Reserve or the Navy at the time.

So, I went down to his office and he delivered the news that, Pete Hegseth had asked me to be relieved of my position, effective immediately.

I asked him, the admiral, I said, was there a reason given?

And he said, no, there was no reason given.

And about an hour later, I left the Pentagon.

And literally that was the last time I set foot in the building.

Last time I wore a uniform.

Jackson> I mean, that had to be pretty jarring at the time.

I mean, just not to have any closure in a sense, to and just to hear that a lot of people have speculated what it could be over.

It could be women.

There's also been men who, white men who had been fired, too.

But it's just seems like there's so much going on, especially now, even a year later, going on at the Pentagon.

Do you think, how would you describe the situation in America finds itself when it comes to our defenses?

Lacore> Yeah, I'm concerned, you know, given my experience, what I see before us right now under the leadership of Pete Hegseth is very concerning.

He has injected, politics and religion into the military, which has never been part of our military.

And I think it's eating away at the fabric of what makes our military strong.

Jackson> Yeah.

I mean, and talk about that a little bit, too, because you've never been, well, I mean, everyone has their politics, but career wise, you were not political.

You were before, you know, Congress appropriations hearings, other briefings with members of, political backgrounds, but you never had that ability to really kind of sound off in a sense.

So kind of walk me through your political journey, going from someone who's in 35 years of just saying, yes, sir.

No, sir, yes, ma'am, no, ma'am, to all of a sudden, Nancy Lacore running for Congress in the first district.

Lacore> Yeah, it was a big change, as you can imagine.

So, I mean, I did work with Congress, you know, in my role as a three star admiral, but that was very nonpartisan.

I work with both Republicans and Democrats to get what the Navy Reserve needed.

You know, I needed to secure those appropriations.

So deciding to do this was, it took a lot.

It was a big change.

You know, I'm not used to talking about most of the topics that I have to talk about.

You know, you could not talk about political things in uniform.

I'm used to, I'm used to the fast pace.

I'm used to working hard, and that's okay.

But it was it was a rather abrupt change.

Jackson> Yeah.

I mean, has been hard just to adapt to campaigning, period.

Just like with the shaking hands and the kissing babies, when you used to just kind of be there, stoic and waiting to be summoned in a sense.

Lacore> Yeah.

I mean, you know, there was a bit of that, as the leader of a force, you know, I had 60,000 sailors underneath me.

So I would go out and do, like, townhall type events and, and do the selfies with them and, you know, shake hands and give awards, but, it's just a different, it's a, you know, different subject here that we're talking about in most of these rooms.

Jackson> So that was a one 80.

I mean, the military was your life, your husband's life for a long time as well, your careers.

And then you made this one 80, you moved down south, and then all of a sudden you threw your hat into the political arena.

I mean, you weren't always Democrat, either.

I mean, walk me through that, your your political ideology background.

But, then also what prompted you to say, hey, I want to get in this race?

Lacore> Yeah, I was a Republican, moderate Republican my entire life until 2016, when Trump came on the scene.

You know, I feel that my values have stayed the same and that party changed drastically, and I just felt like I could not vote that way anymore.

So, that's when I started voting Democrat.

And, you know, when I decided to run, you know, people are like, well, why?

Why are you running as a Democrat?

I'm like, well, I am a Democrat.

I've been voting Democrat for a decade at this point.

So, that's where values align and I'm happy to be a part of that party now.

Jackson> And then, so if you were to get into office and to get the the House majority for the Democrats if they were to take the House, how do you see working with the majority, where would you see yourself in that party in the sense that you talk about being a moderate?

Do you think maybe that's the prevailing mentality that needs to be, permeated in Washington right now, especially in the House, when it comes to just how Democrats have been, viewed over the past couple cycles?

Lacore> I do think we need to be able to come together in the middle, because the problem is that every political candidate and every politician is talking about are American problems.

Not Democratic problems, not Republican problems, like cost of living, you know, the cost of health care.

All of that stuff affects every American.

And I think we need to come into the middle, find that common ground, and really deliver to the people in the Lowcountry and across the whole country.

Jackson> So we did see, you know, a resolution from Thomas Massie talking about trying to impeach Pete Hegseth, that was right before, House speaker Mike Johnson just abruptly canceled things right before the break.

If that was to come back up in a new Congress, would you see yourself supporting it?

How would you view what to do with Pete Hegseth as the leader of the military?

Lacore> Pete Hegseth is the most unqualified secretary of defense that we have ever had, and he is doing significant damage to our military that it will really take decades to undo.

So I think he needs to go.

And, you know, to be honest, I'm surprised he's still there.

I'm surprised, you know, he hasn't been relieved of his position at this point.

But, whatever we need to do to get him out of that role and stop the damage that he's doing.

Jackson> So supporting impeachment for Hegseth <Yes> Do you think it'd be wise to also go after President Donald Trump for any impeachable offenses?

Or do you think that's already been done?

Does it need to be relitigate in a sense, because it doesn't seem to go anywhere?

Lacore> I think there's other things that might be more, impactful and have a greater, effect.

But, you know, that's something I think to consider when I'm actually, you know, up there and presented that, you know, case and would certainly take it under consideration.

Jackson> But when we look at defense specifically, that's your forte.

You've mentioned the how you'd be interested.

Maybe it'll be on the House Armed Services Committee and some other committees looking at that, and you'd be have that opportunity to at least, question him as well.

But when you look at the Iran war and America being they're involved in this for now, seven months and all events come with it, what is your assessment of that conflict right now?

Do you think America is any stronger or weaker?

Ever since we got involved in this seven months ago?

Lacore> I think it's pretty clear we are in a worse state than we were when we got into this.

You know, we went in without a clear plan for what we wanted to accomplish there.

It changed depending on the day.

We don't have a clear way.

We never had a clear exit strategy.

And that's obvious because that now we're stuck, right?

And we have burned up so many munitions, we've lost airplanes, we've lost lives.

And I think, you know, we have taken our eye off the Pacific, and we know that China is the real threat to our nation.

But when you hear folks say, "Well, Iran was so close to getting a nuclear weapon," do you think that was as realistic as they make it out to seem?

Or do you think that was maybe more of an empty threat and the justification for this war?

I don't know what his justification, I mean, that's what they, you know, say.

But if that was really the justification, well, according to them, we got rid of their nuclear capability last summer.

Right?

And here we are again having the same discussion.

So, I mean, this war needs to end, you know, and I hear that from across this whole district because not only are, you know, our military families concerned right, about, you know, who's going into harm's way for no good reason, but it's just driving up the cost for everybody across this district.

And the fact that, you know, my opponent proudly supports this war when I, you know, it makes me wonder.

Jackson> And when we talk about this district and, you know, you being, you know, having lived up in the the Northern Virginia metro area for so long and then also, seeing things down here, obviously tragic.

You're not you're not a stranger to it up there in the DC area.

But when you come down here and you see that and you see what growth has done to the Lowcountry as well as the rest of the state, you know, what issues, how would you address such a major issue when it comes to growth, when it comes to infrastructure needs for this district specifically?

And would you support bringing money back to the district, earmarks to the district?

What else would you want to see to help tackle this just never ending growth cycle?

Lacore> Yeah, I mean, I think we have to find the right balance, right?

I mean, this is the number one state for inbound migration.

People want to come here, right?

We know why, right?

That's why we're here.

But you also need to maintain the natural beauty, in order to really, you know, keep people here.

And so it is a balance.

And again, my level, like, you know, as a congressional representative would be to work with the local elected officials to understand their needs, and I'd talk with some of the mayors.

And I know coastal, resiliency and flood mitigation is a big one too.

And what could I do?

What levers could I pull, what earmarks could I deliver back to the district?

Jackson> And then also all the military installations as well, too.

I mean, you see it like really going to bat for those folks as well?

Lacore> Of course, you know.

Yeah.

<So funding> Yeah.

Absolutely.

Making sure that we maintain them.

I mean, they're big employers in this district aside from, you know, the national security aspect of it.

Jackson> You think there's any threat to any of them being consolidated or close that we've seen, you know, in the years past?

Or do you think that we're pretty well positioned when it comes to military installations, you know, across the state, but specifically in the first Lacore> I think we're okay right now.

You know, nothing that I've heard recently indicates that we are, you know, at the at risk for losing an installation.

Jackson> And then just kind of wrapping up here, Vice.

I'm going to call you Admiral, just because.

But when you look at, big considerations, big issues, talking about data centers, there's a lot of kind of a patchwork of regulations going on right now across the state, because there's nothing coming from the federal level, nothing at the state level this session.

A lot of counties are kind of left to do it themselves.

Where do you see data centers in your mind in terms of, should there be a moratorium, should they mean more transparency?

What do you think needs to be done for these, since they've just generated so much interest on both sides of the political spectrum?

Lacore> Yeah, I mean, as a as a resident of the state and the district, I don't want a data center in my yard.

I don't want them by our schools.

I don't want them on protected waterways or, you know, protected lands.

I would support a moratorium in this state at the federal level, we are so far behind.

We need to get the regulations out there to control these, data centers, make sure that, you know, we have regulations on their water usage, emissions, making sure that costs are not being passed along to the communities and that the data centers are paying their fair share.

Jackson> And when you look at the skyrocketing national debt to as well as the concerns over Medicare, Social Security, I mean, do you how do you plan to address those should you get up in Congress?

Do we need to cut spending?

Do we need to raise taxes?

How do you address those concerns?

Lacore> Yeah, I mean, the national debt is concerning, right.

And it's attributable to a number of different administrations.

This has been going on for a while.

This administration has added almost 30 percent just under this administration.

So things need to change.

You know, we can reverse some of the cuts that we have done, like making sure that our billionaires are paying their fair share, which I don't feel they're doing right now.

And another way to do it is to really invest in the economy.

And I think that is something that we need to take a close look at and try to bring that debt down by investing in our economy.

Jackson> And then just wrapping up, what have you maybe learned about yourself on this campaign trail journey that you've been on for a couple months now, especially just in such a interesting past year in your life, just to see where you are now, where you were this time last year, what have you maybe learned?

Obviously this is another challenging, another challenge and a life of many challenges.

How has it been?

Lacore> It's been a challenge in a different way from other challenges.

I mean, it is a lot of work.

You know, it's long days.

It's seven days a week.

It's being in rooms where people are asking you really hard questions.

You know, sometimes reporters are asking you really hard questions, and you're getting used to it.

But I am willing to do all that because I care so much about this country that I spent 35 years in uniform defending, and we're going in the wrong direction.

And I want to be part of the part of the group that's going to turn it back in the right direction.

Jackson> For Vice Admiral Nancy Lacore, thank you so much.

Appreciate it.

Lacore> You're welcome.

Thank you Jackson> For those interviews and much more, subscribe to our YouTube channel at youtube.com.

slash scetv news.

For South Carolina ETV, I'm Gavin Jackson.

Be well, South Carolina.

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