Navy admiral fired in Hegseth purge wins Democratic runoff: ‘Can’t sit on the sidelines’

In August 2025, Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore was one of several top military officials fired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as part of his leadership purge at the Pentagon. On Tuesday, less than a year later, Lacore became the Democratic nominee for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.

The former Navy officer told MS NOW’s Jen Psaki that after her “abrupt” firing last year, she decided she could not “sit on the sidelines.”

“I was one year into what is normally a four-year job [and] was notified that I was being relieved, effective immediately,” Lacore recalled. “I struggled to figure out what was next for me. But the one thing I couldn’t shake was this feeling that I wasn’t done serving.”

“I thought I was going to be in uniform serving for three more years, and decided there’s too much at risk,” she continued. “I can’t sit on the sidelines. I can serve differently. And then I launched his campaign for Congress in January.”

South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District is currently represented by Republican Nancy Mace, who overcame her Democratic challenger by more than 16 percentage points in 2024 to win re-election. She is not seeking to keep her seat this year and lost her bid for governor in the state last month.

Lacore said Hegseth’s Pentagon purge, during which more than two dozen high-ranking generals and admirals have been ousted from the U.S. military, shows that under President Donald Trump, the agency now values loyalty above all else.

“It’s just sending a very clear message to current service members and future service members that you’re not wanted here. We don’t need you in our armed forces,” she told Psaki.

Lacore said Hegseth’s actions, which have already had a “significant impact” on America’s military, are even more worrisome in light of the Iran war. (The two sides have now paused military activity amid ongoing negotiations.)

“It’s even more damaging when you do it in the middle of conflict, right?” she said. “And that’s not just damaging to the force, but risky for our whole country.”

You can watch Lacore’s full interview with Psaki in the clip at the top of the page.

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