MS NOW host Jen Psaki on Tuesday interviewed South Carolina congressional candidate Nancy Lacore, a three-star admiral and former chief of the Navy Reserve who was fired last year by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Psaki had the pleasure of informing Lacore on the air that she had won the Democratic nomination, but only after the dismissed U.S. service member chronicled her journey into politics following Hegseth’s purge last year of senior military officials.
“It was an abrupt end,” recalled Lacore. “I was one year into what is normally a four-year job, you know, was notified that I was being relieved, effective immediately. I walked out of the Pentagon an hour later — and I struggled to figure out what was next for me.”
She continued, “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. I can’t sit on the sidelines. I can serve differently.”
Lacore launched her campaign in January.
She will now be running in the general election for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, held by Rep. Nancy Mace (R), after defeating Mac Deford. Before learning that she had won the nomination, Lacore explained why a Democrat could be a popular choice.
“I think the fact that every day we turn the TV on and this administration is doing something that harms Americans helps, right?” Lacore said. “People are fed up with this administration. And … I focus on what matters to everybody in this district … the cost of living, affordability.”
President Donald Trump frequently dismisses widespread affordability concerns and has launched a costly and deeply unpopular war with Iran. Lacore said her district has “a huge veteran population” of “fed up” people who approach her about these issues “in tears.”
She also spoke rather bluntly about Hegseth requesting an additional $80 billion from Congress to help cover the cost of the war, calling this “predictable” and “unacceptable.”
“I think that’s just the way this whole administration has been running,” said Lacore. “They think there’s just an open checkbook, and they can keep doing what they feel like, and then they’re just going to get it all covered. And it’s just more of the same from this administration.”
She went on to argue that Hegseth’s ongoing purge occurring amid a major conflict sends “a very clear message” that current and future military service members “are not wanted,” and that this is not only damaging to the armed forces — but “for our whole country.”
Lacore added, “And as you can see, it hasn’t gone so well.”
Her campaign certainly has, however, as Lacore was told at the end of her appearance Tuesday that she had defeated Deford to become the Democratic nominee — and can now focus on flipping the Republican seat in her district in this year’s midterm elections.