A national polling firm said Tuesday that the vast majority of its data was fabricated. Wedgewood Polling called the work an "experimental project to demonstrate the vulnerabilities" of the modern political polling industry 1. The admission came after FiftyPlusOne, a polling and election analysis site, questioned the firm's results 1.
Wedgewood's polls had been cited by national news outlets. FiftyPlusOne and The New York Times had included them in their poll databases, and both have since removed the data 1. MS NOW, Newsweek, Decision Desk HQ and Mediaite had also cited the polls 1.
How far the fake numbers spread
WCYB, reporting for The National News Desk, said The New York Times removed 15 Wedgewood polls released between June and October 2. Decision Desk HQ removed 17 polls and said its Senate and House projections did not change 2. Wedgewood says only one Nebraska poll, which was crowdfunded, was legitimate 2.
The firm's X account was opened in June 2026, and its website now shows an error message 1. FiftyPlusOne said the firm was run by Jack Sims and Andrew Prater, and that it had confirmed Sims had polling experience 1. The site said it had asked the firm about its methods before including its data 1.
Warning signs had appeared earlier. Straight Arrow News reported that Wedgewood's website listed no employee names, phone number or address 1. An Urban Milwaukee editor called it "a shady outfit" in July and August 1.
Columbia University statistics professor Andrew Gelman doubted the experiment explanation. He said it was suspicious that the statement came on the very day the firm got caught 1.
A Democrat says she paid the price
Mallory McMorrow, a Democratic Michigan state senator, suspended her U.S. Senate campaign in July 1. She said a Wedgewood poll in June showed her "plummeting into single digits," which did not match her campaign's own numbers 1. She said donations dried up and volunteers were devastated 1.
Sure, a point was proven. Polling is broken
Abdul El-Sayed went on to win Michigan's Democratic primary in August 1. Wedgewood is not the only cause of misleading numbers there. Several real polls showed El-Sayed with a double-digit lead over Haley Stevens, yet he won by only one percentage point 1.
The FCC chairman steps in
On Wednesday, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Brendan Carr said TV networks could violate their regulatory obligations by airing "fake polls" 1. He offered no evidence or specific polls for his claim that fake polls had surged significantly this season 1.
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez disagreed. She said broadcasters that report public polling data in good faith should never be punished when a poll is wrong 1. The FCC's own website says broadcasters face enforcement only if it can be proven they deliberately distorted a factual news report 1.
President Trump has long criticized polls that do not favor him or his party 1. On Monday he said, "the polls are fake," while discussing Kansas, where Republican Sen. Roger Marshall faces a close race 1.
What happens next
FiftyPlusOne's G. Elliott Morris said the site is investigating Wedgewood for faking data 2. The midterm election is Nov. 3. Pollsters and news outlets now face pressure to show how they vet surveys before then.
The pattern is worth noting. A fake firm did real harm to a Democratic campaign, and the government's top broadcast regulator responded with a warning to TV stations rather than to the people who faked the data. Whether that warning has any legal force is in dispute.
The Record
- Wedgewood Polling's X account was opened in June 2026 1.
- Mallory McMorrow suspended her Michigan U.S. Senate campaign in July, about a month before the primary 1.
- Wedgewood Polling said most of its data was fabricated and called it an experiment 1.
- FCC chairman Brendan Carr warned broadcasters about airing "fake polls," and Commissioner Anna Gomez disagreed 1.
Sources
- PBS NewsHour, “A company says its polls were fake. Here's what happened” (2026-10-21). pbs.org/newshour/politics/a-company-says-its-polls-were-fake
- WCYB (The National News Desk), “Fake polling firm tricked media, claims fabricated surveys were for 'social experiment'” (2026-10-21). wcyb.com/news/nation-world/fake-polling-firm-tricked-media-c
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