Jenny Costa Honeycutt holds the lead in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District race because the seat, vacated by Rep. Nancy Mace’s gubernatorial bid, sits in a Republican-leaning coastal district redrawn after 2020 to favor the GOP. Honeycutt, a Charleston County councilwoman and local attorney, won her June runoff and benefits from established name recognition plus recent outside spending from Republican-aligned groups. Retired Navy Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore captured the Democratic nomination in her own runoff but faces headwinds as a relative newcomer to the area despite her military service and national party support. Recent polling shows Honeycutt ahead by double digits, and forecasters rate the contest Likely or Lean Republican. The Oct. 7 debate and early voting beginning Oct. 19 offer limited remaining opportunities for Lacore to close the gap before the Nov. 3 general election.