Mike Huckabee appeared on the CBS Evening News on August 1 to discuss the Iowa Straw Poll and his ongoing campaign in Iowa. He was among the Republican debaters in Iowa on August 5, and came in with 8 percent support in a pre-debate poll, tying with John McCain and ahead of his main competitor Sam Brownback who came in with 5 percent. Huckabee was pleased with the results, which showed that he was ahead of all of his second-tier candidates, and said "we think poll is a great sign for us because it shows that when other candidates are standing still or moving backwards we clearly are moving forward." An Iowa focus group gave Huckabee high marks after the debate, citing that he gave "honest and clear answers" to the questions. As the August 11 Iowa straw poll draws near, Huckabee's campaign manager Chip Saltsman has said to supporters that a strong showing in the poll will vault the campaign into the top-tier.