Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina says she plans to start a statewide series of town halls this week in Myrtle Beach now that she's running for governor.

"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.

She joins a crowded Republican primary field that includes a rival candidate she has already clashed with sharply this year.