Cooper Allen

USA TODAY

Presidential nominees weigh a variety of factors when selecting their running mates, not the least of which is the ability to boost the ticket's chances of winning in November. So among the plausible vice presidential choices this year, who would help Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump the most?

In a Monmouth University Poll out Thursday, six potential running mate choices from each party were gauged to see how much they would help — or hurt — their party's prospects. While a lack of name recognition is a significant factor for many, a couple of notable findings emerged.

Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, would seem to be a drag on Trump's chances should he pick her to once again be on the Republican ticket.

Among the 803 registered voters polled, 42% said they would be less likely to vote for the real estate mogul with Palin as his running mate, compared to only 13% who said they'd be more likely to. Only Marco Rubio, who announced Wednesday he was changing his mind and would seek re-election to his Florida Senate seat, had a net positive impact on Trump's chances.

On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator who has yet to drop out of the Democratic presidential race, had a positive impact on Clinton to poll respondents. Thirty-nine percent said they'd be more likely to back Clinton with Sanders as her vice presidential choice, while 20% said they'd be less likely. Recent reports indicated Sanders was not among the group of candidates currently being considered by Clinton.

Generally, though, the vice presidential selection, whoever it may be, seemed to have no impact for many, if not most, voters.

“These findings are based in large part on name recognition, but the results do underscore one key truth about vice presidential nominees," said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. "They usually do not have a significant impact on the national electorate.”