Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., wasn’t onstage for either of the Republican presidential debates in South Carolina on Thursday evening, but his presence was most certainly felt.

As moderator Neil Cavuto questioned Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a group of Paul supporters could be heard in the crowd.

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“We want Rand! We want Rand! We want Rand!” they chanted.



After the outburst, the debate continued.

Fox Business Network, which hosted the debate, placed Paul in an undercard debate earlier in the evening, with the main event set to feature only the top seven candidates in the polls. Paul refused to participate, to protest having been removed from the main debate. Instead, he held a live event online and gave a series of interviews about his decision to boycott the debate.

Yahoo News asked Paul campaign spokesman Sergio Gor about the interruption.

“While we had an extraordinary media day and reached over 15 million listeners and viewers, we agree that Rand should have been there. The fight for liberty continues!” Gor said.