FORT MILL, S.C. - On Saturday, in front of more than a thousand voters in Fort Mill, South Carolina, Texas Senator Ted Cruz spoke critically of President Barack Obama's foreign policy.
He told the forum moderator former CNN Correspondent Jeanne Meserve “What we need is a Commander In Chief that sets out a clear objective that we will defeat radical Islamic terrorism. We will call it by its name. We will hunt them down and we'll destroy them.”
And when talking about attacks on the U.S. soil, like the Fort Hood shooting, Cruz called for tougher preventive measures.
He said “When you hear that somebody is talking a radical Islamic cleric, you lock them up . You stop them from murdering 14 soldiers. This is not that complicated.”
Senator Cruz answered questions from the media as well before the forum about his opponent Donald Trump and their heated exchange about "New York values."
But many voters told us still, their priority when choosing their next President is national security.
Glenn Kramar of Fort Mill said “We want people coming here to obey our laws and our Constitution. Border security is a point of entry and point of protection.”
Diane Abbott of Charlotte said “I believe that we are open and vulnerable to attack. I believe that America's still a great nation but has to be strengthened.”
And South Carolina will continue to be in the national spotlight. The Democratic presidential candidates debate is Sunday night in Charleston.