GOP hopefuls gear up for South's first primary

(CNN) -- Mitt Romney's much-needed Michigan win leveled the Republican presidential campaign's playing field.

The attention now shifts from Michigan to South Carolina, which holds its Republican primary Saturday.

Going into the South's first contest, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee scored a win with Iowa, Arizona Sen. John McCain took New Hampshire, and, in addition to Michigan, Romney grabbed a win in Wyoming.

Recent polls indicate Huckabee and McCain are vying for first in the South Carolina.

McCain is counting on his decorated military service appealing to Republicans in the patriotic state, while Huckabee and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson are fighting for the support of the social conservatives.

Romney is hoping his momentum will carry through to South Carolina, but he is campaigning light in the state and also spending time in Nevada, which holds its caucuses the same day.

Romney finished second in Iowa and New Hampshire.

"The fact that I came in second in a couple of primaries, I know some people think that's a devastating thing. Actually, I got delegates," he said. "And I'm looking to rack up the delegates I need to win the convention."

Nevada has 31 delegates on the line Saturday, compared with South Carolina's 24. But though Nevada has more delegates, South Carolina would be a symbolic win. The state's Republican primary voters have sided with every eventual Republican presidential nominee since 1980.

In congratulating Romney on Tuesday, Huckabee pledged to win the upcoming contest.

"It looks like I won Iowa. John McCain won New Hampshire. Mitt Romney won Michigan. But ladies and gentleman, we're going to win South Carolina," Huckabee said. Watch what's next for the GOP candidates »

Huckabee, an ordained Baptist minister, is banking on his evangelical voting base to seal his win in a crowded GOP field of competitive candidates.

But evangelical voters haven't rallied behind one candidate. In Michigan, Romney edged out Huckabee among evangelicals.

"These are northern evangelicals. South Carolina is southern evangelicals. They maybe very different, but we don't know. But I think it does signify that evangelical voters are not locked up," said CNN political analyst Bill Schneider.

In addition to the heavily evangelical counties like Greenville and Spartanburg, Huckabee aides told CNN that the former governor will also be tapping into areas where McCain enjoys his strongest support, like the coastal areas around Charleston, Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach.

McCain, who in 2000 lost South Carolina to George W. Bush, won several counties along the coast thanks to the sizeable population of veterans and national security voters there. The areas have since swelled with retirees, many from out of state.

But McCain has also tried to appeal to the voters who didn't back him in 2000.

"He's really spent the last eight years trying to get the George W. Bush organization in line. He's captured a lot of the establishment now who are with John McCain. That is certainly going to help them," said CNN political analyst Gloria Borger.

McCain supporter and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said he thinks South Carolina will be the deciding primary.

"John had to win New Hampshire to be viable, and if he wins South Carolina, I think that closes the deal, because a win here propels him with momentum into Florida," he said. "If you don't beat John in South Carolina with a conservative message, where do you beat him?"

South Carolina could also be a tipping point for former Thompson. He bypassed Michigan altogether in order to focus on Saturday's race. Watch how the GOP candidates are fighting for South Carolina »

Having failed to produce a strong showing in Iowa or New Hampshire, the Thompson camp is banking on South Carolina to revive his struggling campaign.

He's been arguing that he is the true conservative candidate.

"This is a battle for the heart and soul of the Republican Party. And we're going to adhere to those basic principles, the ones I've been fighting for all this time or we're going to go off to another direction and we're going to nominate someone who is newly convinced, apparently, of some of these basic conservative ideas," he said Wednesday on CNN's American Morning.

When asked if he was referring to Romney, Thompson replied, "That name would come to mind, yes."

Some analysts have said a South Carolina loss would be a fatal blow to Thompson's campaign.

"I'm not going to talk about unsuccessful scenarios. We're getting good results down here," Thompson said. "There is no question we've got to do very well here. But different people are winning these different major contests, and I think a different person will win Saturday in South Carolina."

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has yet to finish in the top three in any contests, but he's largely skipped the early contests in order to invest in Florida and the delegate-rich states that vote in February 5's "Super Tuesday" contests.

Giuliani finished sixth in Michigan, behind Texas Rep. Ron Paul and Thompson.

McCain's second-place finish in Michigan was "great news" to Giuliani, according to Ari Fleischer, former press secretary for President Bush.

"This is what Rudy needed. If John McCain won Michigan, it would have been a big setback to Rudy Giuliani. He and McCain share a relatively independent, more moderate side of the Republican party base. The fact that McCain got a setback in a state he previously won, great news for Rudy," Fleischer said.

But Fleischer downplayed the importance of Saturday's contest, pointing to Florida and Super Tuesday as the real tests.

"I think South Carolina will be inconclusive. It's not going to be what it used to be because it's too much of a jumble. Florida will be a vital springboard to February 5," Fleischer said. E-mail to a friend

CNN's Alan Silverleib, Mark Preston, Dana Bash, Peter Hamby, Jessica Rummel and Rebecca Sinderbrand contributed to this report.

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