Winners and Losers: Perry Works for S.C. Votes

Winner: The reality is that Texas Gov. Rick Perry won't have many good days in the next week-and-a-half, but he has found at least one.

While the other candidates are busy locking up first, second, third, fourth, and fifth (and Buddy Roemer may even get sixth),

At events in the Upstate, Perry and his wife, Anita Perry, were talking about his outsider roots and the need for something different in Washington.

“South Carolina Republicans are not going to let Iowa or New Hampshire Republicans choose the candidate for president, South Carolina does,” state campaign chair Katon Dawson said. 

“Right now we’re going to have our say,” Dawson said. “This is a conservative God-fearing state and the Governor has had a warm reception from everybody.”

Take a look at the daily winners and losers since Iowa.

Loser: Mitt Romney hasn't had many bad days. Usually, there is some poll or a passable debate performance to prop him up. No such news on Monday for the former Massachusets governor and current 2012 GOP Primary frontrunner.

After Romney said he worried about getting his own pink slip early in his professional career, Perry returned a high-profile jab at Romney's roll in cutting jobs.

Then, Romney showed why he gets frustrated at explaining his health care history. In trying to tell a crowd that they should be able to fire their insurance company, Romney said, "I like being able to fire people who provide services to me if someone doesn't give me the service I need."

The competition pounced, using the poor choice of words to pile on a running argument that Romney is out-of-touch. 

"What's clear is he likes firing people," said former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman. "I like creating jobs."