Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee speaks to Chris Wallace on FOX News Sunday in Manchester, 06 Jan 2008

Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee says his party must pay more attention to middle- and lower income people affected by the flagging U.S. economy.

The former Arkansas governor spoke on the television program Fox News Sunday, two days before a key primary election in the state of New Hampshire.

Questioned about his friendship with fellow candidate, Arizona Senator John McCain, he said they have both been "brutally assaulted" by misleading attack ads sponsored by competitor Mitt Romney.

Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, also appeared on Fox News Sunday. He said he has spent more of his personal fortune than he would like to on his campaign, but not yet as much as he is willing to spend.

Republican and Democratic candidates took part in separate debates in New Hampshire late Saturday.

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The Democratic Party candidates focused on foreign policy and domestic health care, while Republicans argued heatedly about Iraq war strategy and immigration reform.

In the Democratic race, the latest polls indicate that Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are virtually tied ahead of Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.

A new poll by CNN shows Clinton and Obama each with about 33 percent of the vote. Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards is well back in third place.

The survey of nearly 700 likely New Hampshire voters showed McCain leading the Republicans with 33 percent of the vote, well ahead of Romney. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was third, followed by Huckabee, who won the Iowa caucuses on Thursday.

Other states will hold primaries and caucuses in the coming weeks. The state-by-state presidential nominating process leads to the Democratic and Republican parties' national conventions in August and September, setting the stage for the general election in November.