MANCHESTER, N.H. ? With most of the eight Democratic presidential hopefuls campaigning almost exclusively in Iowa in advance of today’s caucuses, former Gen. Wesley Clark and Sen. Joe Lieberman have had New Hampshire nearly all to themselves in recent days.

By early Tuesday morning all that will change. With other major contenders coming to town, the two men will be forced to share the spotlight and are likely be subjected to the same intense scrutiny that has made the Iowa contest one of the fiercest in years.

The final stretch in the race for New Hampshire, which has the nation’s first primary Jan. 27, will begin just hours after the caucus results are revealed in Iowa.

Howard Dean may be the first to arrive. The former Vermont governor plans to hop a plane as soon as his Iowa fate is known and be on the ground by 2 a.m. Tuesday for a rally on the tarmac at the Portsmouth airport. Others expect to be campaigning in New Hampshire by midday Tuesday. With four candidates now in a close race in Iowa, many are expected to train their New Hampshire sights on Clark, who has gained considerable traction in recent weeks. The former general’s campaign is girding for an onslaught of questions and, perhaps, attacks.

“I imagine it’s going to be very intense for everybody,” said Clark’s press secretary, Bill Buck. “But I don’t see us having a bigger target on our back than anyone else.”

Others believe the Iowa winner — whether it’s Dean, Sen. John Kerry, Sen. John Edwards or Rep. Dick Gephardt — and anyone else perceived as coming out of Iowa strong also will become prime targets. Lieberman on Sunday made a quick trip to South Carolina, which has a key primary contest Feb. 3. Clark is expected to make an equally brief stop today. Otherwise, the two have spent almost all their time during the past week in New Hampshire.

The strategy of skipping Iowa and focusing on New Hampshire worked just four years ago, when Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona trounced George W. Bush here, although McCain was unable to maintain his momentum.