HANOVER, N.H., Jan. 8 (UPI) -- Even before the ballots were counted in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, John McCain reportedly was contemplating how to cement his front-runner status.

The Republican presidential hopeful and U.S. senator from Arizona focused his sights on Michigan and South Carolina, which have primaries next week -- Jan. 15 and 19, respectively.

"We're going to have a lot of emphasis on the economic issues," McCain told reporters on his campaign bus about his Michigan push, Politico.com reported. "We're going to have to talk about jobs, we're going to have to talk about care for displaced workers, we're going to have talk about competition."

In South Carolina, he said, the focus will be national security.

Politico.com said McCain's camp expects stiff opposition from former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in Michigan, where Romney's father was governor. In South Carolina, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee will present the strongest opposition because of his evangelist roots, which took him to victory in the Iowa Republican caucuses.

The next contest is Jan. 29 in Florida and its clutch of 57 delegates where former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has strong backing.