Fake polling firm admits fabricating data, prompting questions about midterm fallout

Wedgewood Polls calls itself an 'experimental project' as candidates describe real damage: 'It killed us'

By LineZotpaper

Published22 October 2026

Read Time3 min

Sources2 outlets

A company that posted fabricated polling data during the 2026 midterm campaign has admitted the numbers were fake, triggering a reckoning among campaign operatives, donors and aggregators about how easily misinformation can sway elections. Wedgewood Polls, which had been included in respected aggregators and cited by outlets including Politico, said on Tuesday it was an 'experimental project' meant to show how an entirely fabricated firm could influence public opinion. But candidates who saw their campaigns damaged by the bogus polls have condemned the experiment, with one Democrat saying the false data dried up donations and devastated volunteers.

Wedgewood Polls, facing the imminent publication of an investigation by the polling aggregator FiftyPlusOne, admitted late Tuesday that it had been fabricating its numbers. In a statement, the company said it was never intended to sway an election or permanently mislead the public. The account had posted polls showing several Democratic candidates with dramatically different levels of support than other public polling suggested.

Mallory McMorrow, the unsuccessful Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, said a fake Wedgewood poll that showed her crashing to single-digit support against Abdul El-Sayed and Representative Haley Stevens 'dried up' donations, 'devastated' volunteers and led to numerous calls for her to exit the race. 'It killed us,' she wrote on X. 'These were some of the absolute worst days on the campaign.' Jennifer Holdsworth, a Democratic operative who ran a super PAC supporting McMorrow, said the Wedgewood poll 'was used by several donors to pull back funding at a time we were being outspent by $80 million.'

The account also posted numbers that suggested Democratic socialist Francesca Hong was leading in the Wisconsin gubernatorial primary, a race she ultimately lost, and a poll showing the Mississippi Senate race within reach shortly before Democrats poured money into the state. Scott Colom, the Democrat running in Mississippi, circulated the poll to his press list as evidence of 'massive momentum.'

Lauren French, a spokesperson for the Democratic Senate Majority PAC, said the group does not make spending or strategic decisions based on external polling. 'Absolutely not,' she wrote on X.

FiftyPlusOne said it had included Wedgewood in its aggregator because the firm was founded by people who had worked in polling previously. Wedgewood's account pushed back after the aggregator Polling USA said it suspected the data was fake, asking, 'If you suspected it was fake, why did you post our results?'

An email to the account listed on Wedgewood's X profile bounced back, and previous PDFs of polls tied to the account are no longer available online.

Charlotte Swasey, a pollster for the Democratic group Searchlight, told Politico that the incident highlights the challenge of 'information pollution' heading into 2028, when both parties will hold presidential primaries. 'It would be really difficult, especially in a primary, to tell people that what they're seeing about their preferred candidate isn't real,' she said.

Analysis

Why This Matters

The episode shows how easily fake polling can distort campaign decisions, donor behaviour and media narratives in an election cycle.
It raises questions about the verification processes used by polling aggregators and news outlets that amplified the data.
With presidential primaries in 2028 on the horizon, the potential for similar manipulation could increase, especially in low-information races.

Background

Wedgewood Polls emerged during the 2026 midterm season, posting apparently genuine polling results that were picked up by several aggregation services, including one owned by The New York Times, and cited in political newsletters. The company claimed to be founded by former polling industry professionals, which helped it gain credibility. Tuesday's admission came after FiftyPlusOne investigated and found the data was fabricated. The company's exact purpose remains unclear, with speculation ranging from boosting progressive candidates to manipulating prediction markets.

Key Perspectives

Wedgewood Polls: The firm describes itself as an experimental project designed to demonstrate how an entirely fabricated polling firm could influence public opinion. It insists the project was 'never intended to sway an election or permanently mislead the public.' Candidates and operatives affected: Mallory McMorrow and others report real harm from the fake polls, including lost donations and demoralised teams. They argue the experiment had tangible, damaging consequences regardless of intent. Polling aggregators and watchdogs: FiftyPlusOne and other accounts that posted the data are facing scrutiny over their vetting procedures. Some argue that the ease with which fake data can enter the information ecosystem demands stricter verification standards, especially in primary seasons where little public polling exists.

What to Watch

Whether any investigation by election authorities or platforms follows, given the crowdfunding dollars raised and the impact on federal races.
How polling aggregators revise their acceptance criteria ahead of the 2028 primaries.
Whether candidates or donors who relied on Wedgewood data take legal or public action.

Sources

Pollster admits to fabricating data for ‘social experiment’ to expose flaws of industry · World news | The Guardian
How a fake pollster may have moved some 2026 elections · Politics

Checked

5 claims in this story checked against 2 sources: 0 supported.

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Partly supportedThe admission triggered a reckoning among campaign operatives, donors and aggregators about how easily misinformation can sway elections.Politics: “Regardless of what Wedgewood said it was trying to achieve (they remain adamant the project “was never intended to sway an election or permanently mislead the public”) — pollsters, operatives and candidates alike said there were real world implications for posting fake data online.”
Partly supportedCandidates whose campaigns were damaged by the polls condemned the experiment.Politics: “pollsters, operatives and candidates alike said there were real world implications for posting fake data online.”
Partly supportedWedgewood’s polls showed several Democratic candidates with support levels dramatically different from what other public polling suggested.World news | The Guardian: “one of its polls regarding the Wisconsin Democratic primary for governor showed Francesca Hong at 30% “at a time when legitimate polls had her with far less of the vote”.”
Partly supportedMallory McMorrow was the unsuccessful Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan.Politics: “Mallory McMorrow, the unsuccessful Michigan Democratic Senate candidate who dropped out before her primary”
Partly supportedCharlotte Swasey told Politico that the incident highlighted the challenge of “information pollution” heading into 2028.Politics: ““What I’m concerned about is essentially information pollution, things that are either intended to skew prediction markets or just straight misinformation flying around,” Charlotte Swasey, a pollster for the Democratic group Searchlight, told POLITICO Magazine recently.”