South Carolina 1st District race 2026: Honeycutt vs. Lacore

RThe Ledger's profile

Jenny Costa Honeycutt

Charleston County Council member and attorney; 2026 Republican nominee for South Carolina's 1st District. Record, returns, finances and priorities, sourced.

Read the documented profile of Jenny Costa Honeycutt

Also on the ballot

Nancy Lacore

American retired U.S. Navy vice admiral and former chief of Navy Reserve; 2026 Democratic nominee for the U.S. House from South Carolina’s 1st congressional district

The general-election field as the board records it: Jenny Costa Honeycutt (R) vs. Nancy Lacore (D)

The race at a glance

Board data as of Sep 15, 2026. Ratings are the raters' own current calls; polls are the newest public ones with their field dates; money is what the committees reported. Nothing here is a forecast.

Seat

Open — Nancy Mace ran for governor (5th, 12.13%)

Primary

Jun 9 / runoff Jun 23 (SC ENR official): Honeycutt 24,035 (53.70%) def. Mark Smith; D Lacore 12,825 (52.14%)

Ratings

Cook Likely R (Jun 18); Sabato Likely R; IE Likely R (Aug 26)

Newest public polling

GQR (D, HMP) Jul 15–22 n=400: Honeycutt 43 / Lacore 41

Reported money

FEC Jun 3: Lacore $1,633,139 / $279,496 COH; Honeycutt $383,231 / $48,081

Notable

Trump endorsed Honeycutt Jul 13.

Key dates in South Carolina

Read from the South Carolina State Election Commission. The full guide, with the official tools, is on the South Carolina page.

• Voter registration deadline — online, fax or emailSunday, October 4, 2026, 11:59 p.m.: applications submitted online at scVOTES.gov, or returned by fax or email attachment, must be received by this time. The State Election Commission describes Sunday, October 4 as the deadline to register for the November 3 Statewide General Election. Online registration requires a South Carolina driver's license or DMV ID. scvotes.gov
• Early voting beginsMonday, October 19, 2026. Early voting centers are open 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, during the early voting period, and are closed Sunday, October 25. scvotes.gov
• Absentee ballot application deadlineOctober 23, 2026, 5:00 p.m.: deadline to apply for an absentee ballot for the General Election. The State Election Commission's Absentee Voting page states the rule as 5:00 p.m. on the 11th day prior to the election, and says the completed application is returned by U.S. mail or personal delivery to your county voter registration office. scvotes.gov
• Absentee ballot return deadline (received, not postmarked)Ballots must be received by the county voter registration office by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 3, 2026; this is a received-by deadline, not a postmark deadline. The State Election Commission says ballots should be mailed no later than one week prior to Election Day to help ensure timely delivery. Military and overseas voters have separate return rules, published on the Commission's Military & Overseas Citizens page. scvotes.gov
• Election DayTuesday, November 3, 2026 — the 2026 Statewide General Election. scvotes.gov
• Poll hoursPolls are open 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The State Election Commission's How to Vote page adds that anyone in line at 7:00 p.m. will be allowed to vote. scvotes.gov

Voting in South Carolina: dates, rules and official tools

Questions and answers