A polling firm that had its data tracked by mainstream media and political campaigns has admitted its survey results were entirely fabricated. This disclosure marks the second such scandal to emerge ahead of the US midterm elections, heightening concerns about the erosion of trust in independent polling within an already polarized political landscape. The controversy surrounding Wedgewood Polls began earlier this week after the polling aggregator FiftyPlusOne initiated an investigation into the firm’s surveys.
In a statement posted to X, Wedgewood admitted that the majority of its data was made up. The firm claimed it was conducting an experiment to determine how easily a fabricated polling entity could gain traction and be taken seriously by the public and political analysts. Wedgewood’s X account has since been deactivated. The impact of the false data was significant. Michigan Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow reported that after Wedgewood released a poll in late June showing her support in the single digits, her campaign suffered immediate consequences. She noted that donations ceased, volunteers were devastated, and media outlets pressured her to drop out of the race. "It killed us," McMorrow stated on social media.
The misinformation extended to high-profile races across multiple states and was amplified by major news outlets and polling aggregators. The New York Times, for instance, issued an editors' note confirming that its own poll tracker database had included 15 surveys from Wedgewood between June and October, all of which have now been removed. Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, warned that there has been a significant increase in fake and suppression polls intended to interfere with the electoral process. He urged the media to refrain from amplifying these hoaxes. This follows an August incident involving another group, Median Strategies, which admitted to fabricating results as part of a short-term social experiment, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Furthermore, FiftyPlusOne announced on Thursday that it would cease collecting data from a firm called SoCal Strategies following an investigation that questioned its legitimacy. The firm’s website, Substack, and X account have all been taken offline, and representatives could not be reached for comment. Experts are increasingly concerned that the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence is lowering the barrier for bad actors to produce convincing fake data. The American Association for Public Opinion Research stated that sophisticated AI tools are making it difficult to identify phony pollsters. Mary Losch, the association’s president, warned that these bad actors are distributing fabricated information that undermines trust in public opinion and election polling, and emphasized the importance of distinguishing such fraudulent activities from legitimate election research.
