Huckabee shakes up GOP race in South Carolina

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) -- Mike Huckabee has capitalized on his Iowa surge and roared to the front of the Republican pack in South Carolina, largely on the strength of social conservatives frustrated with the crop of candidates.

"We've been on the stove simmering for about 11 months," Huckabee said at a Saturday rally in Greenville. "Somehow in the last two weeks, the lid blew off and the pot started boiling."

A month ago, Huckabee was fifth in South Carolina polls. Now, according to a new Mason-Dixon poll conducted in the state, Huckabee comes in at 20 percent, putting him in first place with a narrow lead over former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has 17 percent.

They are followed by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at 15 percent, former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee at 14 percent and Sen. John McCain of Arizona at 10 percent.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, a diehard McCain supporter, predicted the political wave last week, telling reporters in Washington, "What you see nationally with Huckabee is happening in South Carolina."

Oran Smith of the conservative Palmetto Family Council said Huckabee's momentum, media attention and strong debate performances may have given once-hesitant voters newfound confidence in the former Arkansas governor, who for months was considered a long shot.

"So many now are focusing on people they think are more in line with their values but can win. So you've got Romney and Thompson vying for that 'conservative who can win' label, and all of a sudden here comes Huckabee," Smith said.

That enthusiasm was on display over the weekend in South Carolina, when supporters and media jammed into a Lizard's Thicket restaurant Saturday morning in Columbia to see Huckabee.

The cluster of camera crews may have been in town to cover Oprah Winfrey's upcoming rally for Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, but Huckabee was happy to put on a show for them a day early.

Hoisting himself up on a step ladder above the noisy elbow-to-elbow crowd, he gave a rousing speech laced with his trademark wit and intriguing brand of Republican populism ("I'm a conservative, but I'm not mad at anybody," he likes to say).

Huckabee implored the audience to vote in the January 19 GOP primary.

"We need to be able to nail something down after coming out of Iowa and New Hampshire," he said. "We want to put down some deep roots here."

Huckabee will run his first television ad in South Carolina on Monday, a family-friendly 30-second spot called "A Better America."

U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis, who represents the Greenville-Spartanburg area, jumped off the fence to endorse Huckabee last month. Inglis said his candidate "has the authenticity and transparency" to attract new voters.

"I see he and Obama as very similar in what they're trying to do," Inglis said, referring to the latter's willingness to break with party orthodoxy on certain issues.

"I think that Huckabee has got to find a way say things that need to be said, that we're not going to scare them into voting for us, we're not going to demonize Democrats, we're not going to hate immigrants," Inglis said. "We're going to be rooted in principle and focused on the future, and that's what I think he's found."

As Huckabee begins to cut into his opponents' support among evangelical Christians, who account for about half of GOP primary voters in South Carolina according to a recent Associated Press poll, the arrows are beginning to come out.

The Romney and Thompson campaigns, both vying for support among social conservatives, have issued a salvo of press releases in recent weeks attacking Huckabee's record on taxes and immigration.

On the Sunday morning after Thanksgiving, while Huckabee was giving a sermon at a Baptist church near Greenville, the Thompson camp sent out three e-mail attacks on Huckabee in the course of about 20 minutes.

He also has faced some anonymous dirty tricks: On Sunday, mysterious fliers accusing Huckabee of "lying" about his role in the Wayne DuMond parole controversy were left on car windshields outside his Greenville campaign stop.

The flier said it is sponsored by Lynchburg Christian Students for the Truth, but CNN has been unable to confirm the existence of any group with that name.

Huckabee also lacks the deep pockets of nearly all his GOP rivals, particularly Romney. Huckabee's grass-roots support in South Carolina, while loyal and enthusiastic, lacks the organization and funding of Romney's ground game here.

However, with the holiday season in full swing, Huckabee also may be peaking at the right time.

"Christmas is coming up; there's going to be some bowl games, and politics will be on the back burner except for in the mail," said South Carolina GOP Chairman Katon Dawson. "As soon as Santa Claus comes down the chimney and leaves, here come the candidates."

If Huckabee heads into late December unscathed, with the kind of support he has right now, he could become the man to beat come early January. E-mail to a friend

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