By Michael Katz | Tuesday, June 23, 2026, 10:34 PM EDT
Charleston City Council member Jenny Honeycutt won the Republican runoff for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District on Tuesday, securing a seat that opened following Rep. Nancy Mace’s unsuccessful bid for the GOP gubernatorial nomination.
Decision Desk HQ called the race about two hours after polls closed. With approximately 65% of votes counted, Honeycutt received 52.9%, compared to state Sen. Mark Smith’s 47.1%.
Honeycutt and Smith were the top two finishers in the June 9 primary, where Honeycutt earned 22.1% and Smith captured 18% among an 11-candidate field.
The Republican winner will face Nancy Lacore, who defeated Mac Deford in the Democratic runoff with 52% of the vote, according to Decision Desk HQ. In the primary, Lacore secured 36.5%, while Deford placed second with 28.9%.
Despite the seat’s challenge for Democrats, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report recently shifted it from “Solid Republican” to “Likely Republican,” citing the open seat and the possibility of a well-funded Democrat nominee in favorable political conditions.
