Mace made the remark largely unprompted, responding to an audience member who asked if she would remove fluoride from the water supply if elected.

"It's obviously going to make the race very fractious, very interesting with the potential to have a lot of unflattering portraits," a pollster told Newsweek.

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina is running for governor, entering a GOP primary in which competition for President Donald Trump's endorsement — and the backing of his base of supporters — is expected to be fierce.