President Donald Trump returned to South Carolina on Wednesday night hoping to drag Sen. Darline Graham across the finish line in an unexpectedly competitive Senate race. Instead, his Pendleton rally featured protest disruptions, flying fists and Republican voters who remained decidedly unsold on Graham.

The appearance marked Trump’s second effort in as many months to boost Graham. Supporters were excited to see him, but many were uncertain about the novice senator, her positions and whether she was prepared for the job.

Roughly five minutes into Trump’s 93 minute speech, security escorted at least four protesters from the event. By the end of his remarks, that number had climbed to at least 11.

About 20 minutes into the speech, an attendee appeared to punch a protester on the floor directly in front of Trump. “Wow, thank you, that was great, man,” Trump said. “I love — I watched that. Man. You know I watched that, I saw that. That was incredible. Wow. That was unbelievable. Is everybody okay?”

Law enforcement officers raced around the Clemson University livestock facility removing protesters as disruptions repeatedly erupted. At one point, an officer abandoned her pack at a press table to respond to another outburst.

Trump repeatedly called the demonstrators “paid protesters” and denounced them from the stage. Yet the disruptions were only one complication confronting a president trying to rally his base behind Graham.

Mark Sanford, a 63 year old landscaper from Spartanburg, said he supported Rep. Ralph Norman during the primary and now planned to vote for Graham. Still, he was hardly enthusiastic about the Republican nominee.

“We just don’t know nothing about her,” said Sanford, who shares a name with the state’s Republican former governor but is not related to him. He said his main concern was Graham “just being fresh and her not really knowing what’s going on.”

Willene Allen, a 73 year old retiree from Taylors, also planned to support Graham without displaying much excitement. “She’s fine,” Allen said. “Trump supports her. I support her.”

Other voters had not committed. Rachel, a 45 year old stay at home mother from Walhalla who declined to provide her last name, said she was “a little hesitant about family members taking over,” adding, “we’re not a royalty.”

Rachel also said she knew little about Graham or her political positions. “I don’t know anything about her, so that’s a concern,” she said. “I’m interested to see where she stands.”

Those doubts were hanging over the campaign with less than two weeks remaining before Election Day. Control of the Senate for the final two years of Trump’s presidency was also hanging in the balance.

Republicans had not expected the South Carolina contest to become competitive before Sen. Lindsey Graham unexpectedly died in July. Trump encouraged Gov. Henry McMaster to appoint Darline Graham to complete her brother’s term, then urged her to seek a full six year term and endorsed her campaign.

Graham had never held elected office before her appointment, and her candidacy stumbled during an August Republican primary runoff debate. She conceded that she was not “that informed on national security,” drawing criticism and fueling Republican concerns about her electability.

Graham later emphasized legislation imposing sanctions on Russia and Iran, an effort inherited from her brother that Trump signed into law. Earlier this week, however, Trump signed an executive order exempting Russia from the sanctions, undercutting the achievement Graham had promoted.

Graham publicly disagreed with Trump’s decision during another campaign stop, but Trump later told reporters she believed he “did the right thing.” She did not mention the legislation at Wednesday’s rally, while Sen. Tim Scott said she had “been in the Senate for about 30 seconds and she’s already passed a bill signed into law by President Trump.”

Trump spent much of his speech revisiting familiar themes, including attacks on gender affirming care for minors, complaints about not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize and criticism of the media. He also attacked Democrat Annie Andrews with an anti transgender slur.

Ultimately, Trump asked supporters to behave as though his own name appeared on the ballot. “In this election I’m asking you to pretend I’m on the ballot,” he said, making Graham’s campaign a conspicuous test of whether his political pull can mobilize reluctant Republican voters.