A Lucky Nickel

One thing is for sure: Donors likely will be willing to help. While McCain is not popular with the party establishment—among other things, they still haven't forgiven him for his stance on immigration and his willingness to lock horns with fellow Republicans, like President Bush—many in the party are just as displeased with other Republicans in the race. According to an exit poll of New Hampshire voters by the Associated Press, one in 10 Republicans who voted Tuesday told the survey they weren't happy with their choice of candidate.

But McCain's biggest problem likely won't be his rivals. Heading into South Carolina, McCain faces déjà vu: a primary dominated by attacks waged by largely unknown and mostly untraceable outside groups. There is one distinct difference for McCain heading into the Palmetto State: a number of Bush advisers from 2000 (including ad guru Mark McKinnon) are now on Team McCain. "We are ready," Steve Schmidt, a McCain senior strategist and former Bush-Cheney adviser, tells NEWSWEEK. "We are ready to fight back whatever they throw at us." Indeed, on Tuesday, McCain's campaign announced it had formed a "truth squad" to respond to attacks in the Palmetto State.

Yet outside attacks may be the least of McCain's issues. With a second chance at gaining the nomination, the senator needs to make a convincing argument to his party that he's the man for them—or at least a more likely contender than his rivals when it comes to beating whoever the Democratic nominee may be. McCain's unwavering stance on the Iraq War has bought some goodwill with voters on the right—and seems to have proved crucial to his victory in New Hampshire. Now he'll need to talk more about his efforts on fiscal responsibility, among other things, to build on his momentum. For McCain, that might take more than just a lucky nickel to accomplish.

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