Jenny Honeycutt Secures South Carolina’s 1st Congressional Seat in GOP Runoff Victory

Charleston City Council member Jenny Honeycutt won the Republican runoff for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District on Tuesday, securing a seat that opened after Rep. Nancy Mace’s unsuccessful bid for the GOP gubernatorial nomination.

With approximately 65 percent of votes counted early Tuesday, Honeycutt received 52.9 percent to state Sen. Mark Smith’s 47.1 percent.

Honeycutt and Smith were the top two finishers in the June 9 primary, with Honeycutt earning 22.1 percent and Smith securing 18 percent in a crowded field of 11 candidates.

The winner will face Nancy Lacore in the general election, who defeated Mac Deford in the Democratic runoff with 52 percent of the vote. Lacore finished first in the primary with 36.5 percent, while Deford placed second with 28.9 percent.

Although the seat remains challenging for Democrats, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report recently shifted it from “Solid Republican” to “Likely Republican,” citing the open seat and potential for a well-funded Democratic nominee in a favorable political environment.