Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s tenure has been scandalous for a great many reasons, but among the former Fox News host’s more controversial moves is the aggressive purge campaign he’s led. Just two months ago, The New York Times reported that Hegseth’s firings have been so dramatic that he has left the U.S. Army “essentially rudderless” during an ongoing war in the Middle East.

Political scientist Caitlin Talmadge, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who specializes in foreign policy and military operations, noted via social media earlier this year, “Firing senior officers for cause is one thing. Firing them repeatedly on this scale and with no explanation is unprecedented in our nation’s history.”

The list is not short, though among the notable names is retired three-star Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, who led the Navy Reserve and whose lengthy, decorated career came to an abrupt and unexpected end in August 2025, when Hegseth fired her without cause.

“I was one year into what is normally a four-year job [and] was notified that I was being relieved, effective immediately,” Lacore later told MS NOW’s Jen Psaki. “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.”

Lacore added, “I can’t sit on the sidelines. I can serve differently.”

At that point, the retired Navy admiral took on a different kind of challenge: She decided to launch a Democratic congressional bid in an open South Carolina district. The odds were most definitely against her. Outgoing Republican Rep. Nancy Mace was re-elected by nearly 17 points in this same district two years earlier. Donald Trump similarly won this district by 13 points.

Lacore ran anyway, campaigning in part on Hegseth’s failed leadership at the Pentagon. “I had a front-row seat to the dysfunction of D.C.,” she said at a pre-election event, speaking under a blue naval battle flag that read “Don’t Give Up the Ship.” “National security is now a talking point instead of a responsibility. Too many public servants have been cast aside because of politics. And now we are in an unconstitutional forever war that has done nothing but drive up prices for everybody and put our service members in harm’s way.”

The message apparently resonated. MS NOW reported as part of the network’s liveblog coverage:

Rep. Nancy Mace congratulated Democrat Nancy Lacore on her victory in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District. […]

While The Associated Press has not yet projected a winner in the race, Lacore told outlets that her Republican opponent, Jenny Costa Honeycutt, had called her to concede.

As best as I can tell, Hegseth hasn’t yet commented on the likelihood of her election victory, though if the hapless Pentagon chief manages to hold onto his job, I look forward to Lacore questioning the secretary during a U.S. House hearing sometime soon.

CORRECTION (Nov. 5, 2026, 11:10 a.m. ET): This post has been updated throughout to reflect that Lacore’s race has not been officially called, although her opponent has called her to concede.

The post Last year, Pete Hegseth fired Nancy Lacore. This year, she may get the last laugh. appeared first on MS NOW.

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