Polling Industry’s Collapse Continues: Total Number of Fake Polls Exposed Reaches 15

As Democrats push to gain control of Congress, polls that may have shown them leading various battleground races have been exposed as part of a widespread fraud.

A group called Wedgewood Polling admitted that the numbers it tossed around in Georgia, Michigan, Texas, and other states were fake, according to USA Today, which was among the outlets that said they were fooled.

“The Wedgewood results in some cases were slightly more favorable for Democrats than other polls in the same race,” USA Today noted, citing one poll that had incumbent Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff ahead of his Republican rival, Rep. Mike Collins, by 10 percentage points.

Time noted that Newsweek, MS NOW, and Politico also embraced the fake polling. The New York Times admitted to using 15 of Wedgewood’s polls.

The outlet noted that the political polling site FiftyPlusOne exposed the fakery, and that when confronted, Wedgewood said the polling was an “experimental project.”

“How easy is it for an entirely fabricated polling firm to gain traction, be taken seriously, and expose how little scrutinization exists in media and in public commentary?” the firm wrote in a since-deleted post.

“The short answer: Far too easy,” it wrote.

The explanation came close to one offered by Median Strategies, which was outed after its Wisconsin Democratic primary polling was revealed to be laughably incorrect.

“Median Strategies was created as a short-term social experiment to examine how purported polling information could enter and spread through the political information ecosystem without independent verification,” the company said in an email to the Los Angeles Times.

“It’s getting easier to conduct low-quality polls — or fake them altogether,” FiftyPlusOne wrote.

The New York Times noted that Mallory McMorrow, a member of the Michigan Senate who was competing in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate, said a Wedgewood poll that showed her in single digits was linked to an end of support for her campaign.

“It was a one-two punch,” she said, adding that it “killed us.”

There also appears to be one fewer polling group after they were asked to name who was working for them, according to The Washington Post.

SoCal Strategies has since taken down its website and X account.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr said the fake polling is not being taken lightly.

During this election season, there has been a significant surge in entirely Fake Polls and Suppression Polls designed to do nothing more than interfere with the regular functioning of the electoral process and alter the normal patterns of voter turnout and enthusiasm.

Many journalists and broadcasters have been amplifying or airing these Polls without regard to basic journalistic ethics and without informing the public that those Polls lack a scientific, accurate, or even real basis.

The FCC takes these issues seriously. Broadcasters are prohibited by the terms of their federal licenses from engaging in News Distortion or promoting Broadcast Hoaxes. It is important that broadcasters comply with their public interest obligations. After all, the country benefits greatly when Americans can trust and rely on the media to report the news fairly and accurately.

Broadcasters are advised to avoid engaging in News Distortions or running Broadcast Hoaxes by airing Polls that would violate their regulatory obligations. If broadcasters believe they should provide their viewers with additional context and information about Polls they have covered, they can now take those actions consistent with FCC regulations.

— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) October 21, 2026

“During this election season, there has been a significant surge in entirely Fake Polls and Suppression Polls designed to do nothing more than interfere with the regular functioning of the electoral process and alter the normal patterns of voter turnout and enthusiasm,” Carr posted on X.

“Many journalists and broadcasters have been amplifying or airing these Polls without regard to basic journalistic ethics and without informing the public that those Polls lack a scientific, accurate, or even real basis. The FCC takes these issues seriously. Broadcasters are prohibited by the terms of their federal licenses from engaging in News Distortion or promoting Broadcast Hoaxes. It is important that broadcasters comply with their public interest obligations,” he wrote.

“After all, the country benefits greatly when Americans can trust and rely on the media to report the news fairly and accurately. Broadcasters are advised to avoid engaging in News Distortions or running Broadcast Hoaxes by airing Polls that would violate their regulatory obligations. If broadcasters believe they should provide their viewers with additional context and information about Polls they have covered, they can now take those actions consistent with FCC regulations.”

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