Tommy Thompson claims the crowds at his campaign stops in Iowa are getting bigger and more enthusiastic. With the state's presidential straw poll now less than two weeks away, the former Wisconsin governor and Bush administration Secretary of Health and Human Services has traveled to 83 of Iowa's 99 counties. "You have to shake hands with an Iowan three times before they vote for you, and I'm the only candidate that can say that I'm going to shake hands with that many Iowans three times," said Thompson, who believes he's gaining on straw poll front runner Mitt Romney. The contest is August 11, and Thompson continues to tour the state in an R-V, trying to gain the support of voters. Thompson is expecting the Iowa Straw Poll to "make" his campaign for the White House . By topping Romney, he believes, should help him raise enough money to compete beyond Iowa.