The Republican presidential race is heating up just three weeks before the nation’s first caucus—and two new national polls show Arkansas’ former governor is just a few points behind Republican front-runner Rudy Giuliani. 
  
If making the cover of this week's Newsweek doesn’t convince you that Mike Huckabee is now a top-tier candidate, then the latest polls may do just that. But top-tier status means more attacks, and Tuesday the battle was being fought over the airwaves of Iowa.  (Huckabee Campaign Ad) “It ought to be as least as difficult to get across an international boarder as it is to get on an airplane in our own hometown.  Mike Huckabee will fight to secure our borders.”

On Monday, Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign started running this ad in Iowa. Now his top contender in the nation's first caucus--Mitt Romney--is firing back. 

(Romney Campaign Ad) “Mike Huckabee supported in-state tuition benefits for illegal immigrants.”

Polls show Huckabee ahead by 16 points in Iowa. But it's the nationwide poll that has every political analyst talking.   

(Ken Vogel, Politico.com) “Huck-a-Mania is no longer just for Iowans. Huck-a-Mania is spreading. We just saw two national polls released today that had him even with the front-runner Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York.  And what stands out to me is no one would have predicted this even a month ago.”

But despite the nationwide surge among Republican candidates, another poll released Tuesday shows Huckabee would lose to the top three Democratic contenders. 

(Vogel) “There is a thought among Democrats that he'd be easier to defeat than some of the other front runners. That the support that he's received particularly in Iowa is not going to translate to a more moderate, more centrist base that he would need to appeal to in the General Election.”

Huckabee's strong suit has always been the debates--and he will have another chance to increase his lead Wednesday at the Des Moines Register Republican Presidential Debate.