Mitt Romney has been the front-runner to take on President Barack Obama. Romney was one of the first speakers at the Faith and Freedom Presidential Forum at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.
Romney spoke to a crowd of a thousand people underneath a tent Monday afternoon.
Governor Nikki Haley introduced Romney after greeting the crowd with "It's a great day in South Carolina."
Haley called Romney "someone who will strengthen our military and not apologize for America."
Romney called Obama's presidency a failure and said his time had run out.
"He's out of ideas. He's out of excuses. And in 2012, we are going to prove he's out of time."
The forum was held by the Faith and Freedom Coalition http://ffcoalition.com/. All of the GOP presidential candidates were expected to speak at the event.
At the same time, as Romney gains traction, more groups are trying to show his faults. The latest polls show him with a 19-point lead in South Carolina, according to the New York Times.
South Carolina State Representative Terry Alexander and Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley held a press conference at Breakers hotel Monday afternoon, representing the Democratic National Party.
They say Romney has a legacy of job destruction and a lack of support for middle-class families trying to realize the american dream.
"When Mitt Romney was governor of Massachusetts, after promising he'd be all about job creation and after touting his private sector credentials for creating jobs, the fact of the matter is Massachusetts dropped to the 47th out of 50 states in job creation," Governor O'Malley said.
The two added anyone watching Monday night's debate should consider paying close attention to which candidates have a solid plan for job creation. When we asked them who they thought that GOP candidate was, they said no one.
"President Obama is the only one today whose had to make tough decisions on jobs," Governor O'Malley said.
