A majority of Republicans (60%) seem to approve of Mitt Romney’s choice for a running mate, and an even greater number of Democrats (70%) see Ryan negatively. When it comes to independents, Ryan does not fare well: 42% regard him as an “only fair” or “poor” choice compared to 30% who regard his selection as “excellent” or “good.”

However, independents are even more negative on Joseph Biden when they are asked to rate the job he has done as Vice President. Nearly six-in-ten (59%) say he has done an “only fair” or “poor” job compared to 22% who give him positive marks.

Overall, the public seems to be lukewarm to Ryan: 46% regard Romney’s VP pick as “only fair” or “poor” compared to 28% who rate it as “good” or “excellent.” The same holds true for Biden, only more negative: 56% of Americans overall say he has done an “only fair” or “poor” job while one-in-four consider his performance “excellent” or “good.” Read More

Russell Heimlich  is a former web developer at Pew Research Center.