Mitt and Ann Romney flanked by female business owners, Chantilly, Va. May 2, 2012.
(photo by Lynn Sweet)

CHANTILLY, Va.--"Who would have guessed, we'd look back at the Carter years as the good old days," Mitt Romney said at a small rally Wednesday in a big battleground state, northern Virginia.

Big applause line, a reference to President Barack Obama accepting the Democratic nomination in Denver in 2008 in a stadium with a set decorated with Greek columns:

"When the president spoke at the democratic convention, remember he had those greek columns? He's likely not doing that again," Romney said.

Romney was joined by his wife, Ann and spoke in front of a group of female business owners.

Later today, Romney will open his first fund-raiser to pooled press coverage, a reception in Pentagon City. There is still some work to do on this front: the existence of the fund-raiser was not on his public schedule--and the events that President Barack Obama does (he has two today) are in the public record.

Obama and First Lady MIchelle hit Richmond, Va. and Columbus, Ohio on Saturday for their first formal campaign events, rallies at universities. The Romney event was in a warehouse in a suburb of Washington D.C.

The Romney campaign released a video-messaging is in synch--attacking Obama's business record.