Republican field thrown wide open

After Senator John McCain8217;s victory here on Tuesday, the Republican...

After Senator John McCain8217;s victory here on Tuesday, the Republican field is more scrambled than ever, with the battleground now shifting to a series of states where each of the leading candidate believes he holds certain advantages.

The next showdown will be on January 15 in Michigan, a vast state struggling with a recession and the loss of manufacturing jobs. It is where Mitt Romney was born and reared, and many still fondly remember his late father, George, a three-term governor. Romney will fly there on Wednesday, with his aides. His campaign has clearly been crippled by a second loss in a state where he even has a vacation home.

McCain, who will also go to Michigan on Wednesday, is looking to finish off Romney there.

Already, the McCain campaign has seen a tremendous uptick in its fund-raising, going from 20,000 a day on the Internet to well over 100,000, and raising a million dollars this month alone.

A wild card is Mike Huckabee, who has surged to the lead in some national polls. He hopes to be competitive in Michigan, but is looking toward the January 19 primary in South Carolina, a state with many evangelical Christians.

Waiting in the wings is a weakened Rudolph W Giuliani, who is now focused on a victory in Florida8217;s primary on January 29 to slingshot him to the nationwide contests.

All the Republican candidates will gather on Thursday in South Carolina on for a debate in Myrtle Beach.

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In Michigan, polls show the battle will be among Huckabee, McCain, Romney and, to a lesser extent, Giuliani.

Because of its size, Michigan is not a state conducive to retail politics, and campaigns are largely waged over the airwaves. Romney8217;s advisors see that as a potential advantage. 8220;It is the first real test of who can run a full-spectrum campaign,8221; said Katie Packer, a consultant in Michigan for Romney. But McCain8217;s advisors believe independents who helped him in 2000 could help push him over the top again.

Huckabee8217;s advisors say that he has not written off Michigan and believe his evangelical credentials will appeal to the large swath of Dutch Reformed evangelical churchgoers, while his populist rhetoric about his empathy with working people will strike a chord with the state8217;s blue-collar voters.