Mark Kelly Backs Another Hegseth Foe In Latest Endorsement Push

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s attacks have boosted Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly’s profile and war chest. Now he will use both to back Nancy Lacore, a former vice admiral who’s running for Congress after Hegseth fired her.

Kelly’s political operation plans to announce Wednesday that it will support Lacore among 10 military veteran candidates in competitive House races, highlighting the Arizona senator’s growing national influence that has fueled speculation about a potential 2028 White House run.

The new endorsements also unite two veterans who say they have become targets of the Trump administration’s efforts to politicize the military.

“The one thing we share is we both consider public service to be about delivering results to people and about the Constitution, not about political games,” Lacore told NOTUS. “Yet we have both been caught up in some political games, thanks to Pete Hegseth.”

Kelly, a former Navy pilot and astronaut, is locked in a high-profile legal and political battle with Hegseth after he and other lawmakers urged troops to refuse unlawful orders. Hegseth responded by issuing a censure and threatening to demote Kelly’s retired rank and cut his pension.

“Senator Kelly is proud to support these battle-tested leaders because they bring the grit and service-oriented perspective that Congress needs right now,” Marisol Samayoa, a Kelly spokesperson, said in a statement to NOTUS.

His political team said Kelly’s campaign will donate $2,500 to each candidate, the maximum amount his committee can give to a House campaign, along with providing fundraising support from Kelly’s donor network.

Lacore, the former chief of the Navy Reserve, won the Democratic primary in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District after Hegseth fired her last year in his purge of a dozen senior military officers.

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace didn’t seek reelection in order to focus on her failed gubernatorial bid, leaving behind a district the Cook Political Report moved from “solid Republican” to “lean Republican.”

For Lacore, Kelly’s endorsement offers validation from one of the country’s most prominent veteran-politicians as she tries to win over moderate Republicans and independents in a district with one of the country’s largest military communities.

“The way he comes across, it’s really more about service,” she said. “He hasn’t gotten lost in the political shenanigans that we see in D.C. so often. And frankly, everyone loves an astronaut.”

After 35 years in uniform, Lacore said her career ended abruptly when she was called into a senior officer’s office and informed Hegseth had ordered her firing. “There was no reason given,” she said, and within an hour, she had packed her belongings and left the Pentagon for good.

“There’s a lot of drama surrounding the Pentagon, and it’s touched me, and it’s touched Senator Kelly,” Lacore said. “I think exactly what people don’t want is this political drama.”

Beyond Lacore, Kelly has endorsed Democrats in more than two dozen House and statewide battleground races and contributed more than $1 million in direct contributions to candidates and committees. He plans to campaign this fall for Democrats, including Sen. Jon Ossoff in Georgia and Roy Cooper, the former governor running for Senate in North Carolina.

In addition to Lacore, Kelly also will endorse Jessica Killin in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District, Eileen Laubacher in Colorado’s 4th, Bale Dalton in Florida’s 7th, Darren McAuley in Florida’s 12th, Leela Gray in Florida’s 13th, Zach Dembo in Kentucky’s 6th, Kristina Knickerbocker in Ohio’s 10th, Rebecca Bennett in New Jersey’s 7th and Cait Conley in New York’s 17th.

Kelly has said he is seriously considering a 2028 presidential run, but Samayoa pushed back on the suggestion that all the political activity is meant to set the stage for that effort.

“He just wants to be able to utilize whatever resources he can — goodwill, his own name and bipartisan brand — to do everything to make sure that we win back majorities,” she said.