Running way behind in national polls but leading in New Hampshire, Romney needs to win that state, which borders his home state of Massachusetts, and Iowa to generate momentum for the battles beyond.
"You might see him take on Huckabee directly," said Republican strategist Tony Fabrizio. "The key to him running the table is making sure Huckabee doesn't win Iowa."
ALL FACE BIG QUESTIONS
All of the leading Republicans face big questions in the muddled race for the party's presidential nomination.
Giuliani, while leading in national polls, has seen his advantage erode a bit and the former New York mayor has not been able to make much headway in New Hampshire, which holds a primary vote on Jan. 8.
Without much financial or organizational support, Huckabee has yet to prove he can carry his campaign past Iowa even if he deals a blow to Romney and he wins it. Fabrizio said a Huckabee victory in Iowa could help Giuliani improve his showing in New Hampshire.
Arizona Sen. John McCain is making noise in New Hampshire but needs to do well there to carry him forward.
McCain, speaking on "Fox News Sunday," said he detected "increased enthusiasm" in New Hampshire and repeated his prediction he would win the primary.
Illegal immigration and how U.S. policy might evolve toward Cuba with the declining health of leader Fidel Castro look to be leading topics at a Hispanic-oriented debate at the University of Miami on Sunday night.
The debate is being sponsored by Univision, the largest Spanish-language television network in the United States. The Republicans go at it again on Wednesday in Des Moines, Iowa.
Illegal immigration has been a difficult subject for Republicans since President George W. Bush's proposal to allow undocumented workers to get temporary work permits went down in flames in the Senate earlier this year.
The issue almost sank McCain's campaign -- conservatives rebelled against him for standing with Bush -- and the mantra in the party now is the need for stronger border enforcement.
