With his poll numbers surging in Iowa, Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee may put all of his eggs into the Hawkeye-State basket in December. Or at least most of them. His Iowa campaign director says he expects Huckabee to spend 15 to 20 days there leading up to the state's Jan. 3 caucus.

But that doesn't mean the former Arkansas governor has forgotten New Hampshire. Analysts say Huckabee, whose campaign lacks the money of his competitors, is employing one of the oldest strategies in the book: Do well in Iowa, ride the surge to New Hampshire, then take on the nation.

"Ideal (for Huckabee) would be if he can finish first in Iowa, or a very close second, but then not fall off the table entirely in New Hampshire," said Dante Scala, an associate professor of political science at the University of New Hampshire. Then, Scala said, "if he can score in the top four - or even better, in the top three - in New Hampshire, then he'll have a very good first (post-primary) week."

The latest Iowa poll, released this week, shows Huckabee pulling ahead of Mitt Romney with 28 percent of the vote. That recent success has brought attacks on Huckabee's tax and immigration records by Romney and his staff. New Hampshire polls, however, have consistently shown Huckabee in fourth or fifth place.

A look at Huckabee's recent campaign schedule suggests he's tried to boost support here.

In the past three months, Huckabee spent 15 days in New Hampshire and seven days in Iowa, according to a tally by the Monitor. Compare that to the three months leading up to the Aug. 11 Iowa straw poll. Huckabee, who placed a surprise second behind Romney in that contest, spent 25 days in Iowa during June, July and August and nine days in New Hampshire, according to the Monitor's count.

Huckabee is scheduled to arrive today for another three-day swing through the state, full of meet-and-greets and a stop at a 90th birthday party. But though New Hampshire voters have gotten a lot of face-time with Huckabee recently, they haven't seen his TV ads, which have only aired in Iowa.

That's another strategic move, analysts say - especially since Huckabee doesn't have much money to spend on ads.

"It's perfect," said Steffen Schmidt, a political science professor at Iowa State University. "He spent a lot of time in Iowa (pre-straw poll) talking with people, going around, playing rock 'n' roll . . . . (After the straw poll), the news stories were that he did better than expected. Now he can run some television ads because the money starts to flow in. Then what he has to do in New Hampshire . . . (is) what he did in Iowa: meet people face to face. Because, of all the Republicans, he's the most disarming."

Analysts and Huckabee's campaign staff say his reputation for charming voters will be key. It's crucial in New Hampshire, analysts say, where Huckabee's socially conservative, anti-gay marriage, anti-abortion message may not resonate as they do in Iowa.

"Those issues don't play as well in New Hampshire," said Wayne Lesperance, an associate professor of political science at New England College. "But where (Huckabee) finds some strength is that people say, 'He's kind of a funny guy. He's irreverent.' For him, that is the best strategy."

It looks like Granite Staters will have to wait before seeing a whole lot more of Huckabee's humor. The candidate's first priority in December will be building support for the Iowa caucus, his staff said.

"From day one, our priority has been to finish in the top three in Iowa," said Eric Woolson, Huckabee's Iowa campaign director. "From when we were an asterisk in the polls in March to when we were at 2 percent in July, to now (when we're) 3 percent ahead of Romney."

In recent weeks, the Romney campaign has stepped up attacks on Huckabee. At Wednesday night's GOP CNN/YouTube debate, the former Massachusetts governor criticized Huckabee for proposing to give the children of illegal immigrants in Arkansas access to state college scholarships. (Huckabee responded by saying children shouldn't be punished for what their parents did.)

Romney's campaign has also focused on Huckabee's record, including ethics complaints, tax increases and the release of a convicted rapist who then killed another woman.

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