Republican moves closer to replacing Nancy Mace as GOP looks to hold coastal South Carolina seat

Charleston County Councilwoman and small business owner Jenny Costa Honeycutt is one step closer to winning a ticket to Congress and succeeding nationally known GOP Rep. Nancy Mace.

Honeycutt defeated state Rep. Mark Smith to win the Republican runoff in South Carolina's 1st Congressional District, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday.

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Mace, a longtime supporter of President Donald Trump who's had a turbulent relationship with the president during her six years in the U.S. House, unsuccessfully ran for governor rather than seek re-election this year.

Honeycutt and Smith, who previously served as a member of the Mount Pleasant Town Council, finished atop a very crowded field of candidates in the GOP primary earlier this month. 

But with no one topping 50%, Honeycutt and Smith, as the top two finishers, advanced to Tuesday's runoff.

The 1st Congressional District, which covers much of South Carolina's coastal region, has been held by Republicans for four and a half decades, other than a two-year interlude when Democrats briefly captured the seat during the 2018 blue wave election.

Among the Republicans who once held the seat are now-Sen. Tim Scott and former Gov. Mark Sanford.

Honeycutt, who describes herself as an "unapologetic conservative," will face the winner of the Democratic runoff between Mac Deford, an attorney, and retired Coast Guard Vice Admiral Nancy Lacore.

While Honeycutt will be considered the favorite in the general election, the Cook Political Report, a top nonpartisan election handicapper, recently shifted its rating of the race from "Solid Republican" to "Likely Republican."