It wasn’t long ago that nearly everyone in the room could say they were, proudly, Madison Cawthorn people. But in his 15 months in office, Cawthorn has amassed a streak of scandals, strategic misfires, and baffling statements that haven’t just tarnished the GOP faithful’s pride in him—they’ve sapped his support.

“At first, I thought it was the liberal media ganging up on him,” said Frank, an older man at the debate, who declined to give his last name. “Now, I’m thinking he’s not cut out for it.”

Richard Bennett, of nearby Brevard, admitted he was “a little disappointed” in Cawthorn.

“He seems,” Bennett said, “to have come unscrewed.”