CNN

Senator John McCain, R-Arizona.

(CNN) - Arizona Sen. John McCain said Thursday that he is unfazed by the latest poll numbers that put him in single digits in Iowa.

"I think they're fine, particularly in the early states, but most importantly I'm happy with the financial and political base we have. I'm happy with the progress we have made," the GOP presidential hopeful told reporters in St. Paul, Minnesota.

McCain said he believes it is too early to read much into the numbers. "In the year 1999, at this time, I was at 3 percent.” In the 2000 presidential race, McCain beat then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush in the New Hampshire primary. He soon pulled out of the race after losing to Bush in the South Carolina primary.

McCain's comments came as the latest Mason-Dixon poll shows McCain polling at just 6 percent in Iowa – essentially tied for fourth place with former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Fellow Republican challenger Rudy Giuliani was polling at 15 percent in the same poll. Both men recently announced they would not participate in the Ames, Iowa, straw poll this August. In previous polls, both had support as high as the mid-20's.

The poll, conducted June 13-16, interviewed 400 likely caucus-goers and carries a sampling error of plus or minus 5 percent.

– CNN Political Desk Editor Jamie Crawford