Gingrich, Santorum Keep on Same Page

MYRTLE BEACH — Two of the five GOP presidential hopefuls addressed a crowd of about 500 at the inaugural S.C. Tea Party Convention Monday. 

Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich were the only candidates who accepted invitations to speak at the event. Ron Paul originally tried to send a surrogate and was denied, and then on Monday decided to come. However, he showed up and reportedly left before Gingrich finished his 20-minute talk. 

Neither Gingrich or Santorum turned their sights on each other, and didn't seek to separate themselves from each other. .

The candidates focused on incumbent President Barack Obama and frontrunner Mitt Romney. Both also focused on key issues important to the tea party: job creation, national security and the supposed decline of the nation into socialism. 

Santorum and Gingrich both brought up the right to the pursuit of happiness, bringing up the 18th century definition of happiness being the "morally right thing to do." This has been a common thread at conservative group talks in the state of South Carolina.