Poll weighs impact of running mates

RENO -- The vice presidential selections of Barack Obama and John McCain have little effect on voter preference in Nevada, according to a statewide poll released Friday.

Fifty-eight percent of 600 likely voters surveyed said Sarah Palin's pick will have no effect on whether they vote for McCain, and 65 percent said Joe Biden's selection will have no effect on whether they vote for Obama.

The poll was conducted Oct. 3-6 for the Reno Gazette-Journal and Channel 2 News. It had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

Twenty-two percent said Palin's pick would make them less likely or much less likely to vote for McCain, and 20 percent said it would make them more or much more likely to vote for McCain. By comparison, 13 percent said Biden's selection would make them less likely or much less likely to vote for Obama, and 22 percent said it would make them more or much more likely to vote for him.

Fifty-five percent said they had little or no confidence in Palin's qualifications and experience to be president, while 68 percent said they were confident in Biden's qualifications.