Two recent polls have shown Paul Ryan’s selection as Mitt Romney’s running mate has helped the ticket and Romney’s image.

Gallup found Ryan’s addition helped Romney by one percentage point over the weekend. Though that number is hardly significant, Gallup noted that its “data suggest the possibility that Romney may get a delayed bounce, as he fared slightly better in Aug. 13-14 Gallup tracking than in Aug. 11-12 tracking.”

In a Purple Strategies poll, Ryan was the only person on either ticket who had higher favorables than unfavorable numbers (45% to 39%).

More importantly, independents view Ryan favorably by a nine-point margin (46% to 37%), and Ryan has helped Romney make inroads among independent voters. According to Purple Strategies, the Romney-Ryan ticket “is fueled by an 11-point advantage among independents” which “represents an increase from July, when Romney held a 5-point margin over Obama” among independents.

Romney trailed Obama in Virginia and Ohio in last month’s Purple Strategies Poll by two and three points, respectively.  Now, Romney leads In Virginia and Ohio, by three and two points, respectively. And this momentum is the result of independents viewing Romney more favorably. 

In addition, Romney, whose favorables were a net negative 8 points last month, now only has a net negative 3-point favorability rating, which is an improvement of five points.