VP choices yield favorable bump data say

PRINCETON, N.J., Aug. 11 (UPI) -- Naming a running mate should provide Barack Obama and John McCain a slight uptick in support a review of Gallup Poll data indicates.

Since 1996, Gallup has conducted polls during the time a major-party candidate announced his running mate before the party convention takes place, Gallup said Monday.

When non-incumbent candidates chose a running mate before the convention opens it showed an average 5-percentage point increase in support.

So far in this campaign, McCain, the likely Republican presidential candidate and Obama, McCain's presumptive Democratic challenger, have been fairly close -- within 4 percentage points, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said. The historic information suggests a vice presidential announcement could stir the pot a bit.

Election trends suggest that recent non-incumbent presidential candidates received a bump ranging from 3 percentage points to 9 percentage points. The so-called vice presidential bounce precedes the usual bump candidates get immediately after party conventions.