Wedgewood Polls Admits Fabricating Midterm Polls Cited by National Outlets
Event Reviewed Automatically reviewed for factual accuracy, tone, and neutrality. Review does not check claims against cited sources. Last reviewed 28 October 2026.Wedgewood Polls, a firm whose 2026 midterm surveys had been cited by national news outlets and poll trackers, admitted that it had fabricated its data. The New York Times and other trackers removed its polls, and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr warned broadcasters about airing what he called fake polls.
Fabricated polls reach national trackers; FCC chairman warns broadcasters over airing polls.
Wedgewood Polls published surveys of 2026 midterm races, presenting itself as a firm led by polling-industry veterans. Its results were cited by national outlets and poll trackers, among them The New York Times, Newsweek, MS NOW, Politico and Decision Desk HQ. After the polling news site FiftyPlusOne questioned the firm’s credentials and data, Wedgewood posted a statement on X on 20 October 2026 admitting that it had fabricated its numbers. It called the polls “an experimental project to demonstrate the vulnerabilities, lack of oversight, and overall low barrier to entry in the modern political polling industry,” and described itself as “a fictional entity run by a small group of industry veterans.”
The New York Times removed 15 Wedgewood polls from its poll tracking project and added an editor’s note to affected pages; Decision Desk HQ removed 17 from its averages. Michigan state senator Mallory McMorrow, who suspended her U.S. Senate primary campaign in July, said donations had dried up after a Wedgewood poll showed her at 9 percent.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr then posted that there had been “a significant surge in entirely Fake Polls and Suppression Polls” and advised broadcasters “to avoid engaging in News Distortions or running Broadcast Hoaxes by airing Polls that would violate their regulatory obligations.” Commissioner Anna Gomez responded that “broadcasters who report publicly available polling data should never be punished when a poll is wrong.”
Sources
- 01.
FiftyPlusOne. FiftyPlusOne just caught a pollster faking data — and they copped to it. (2026). Source for FiftyPlusOne contacting Wedgewood on 20 October 2026, Wedgewood answering with a public statement admitting it had fabricated data the same day, and the firm presenting itself as led by Jack Sims and Andrew Prater.
- 02.
Mercer, M. (2026). Polling firm admits to fake data, says it was 'social experiment'. Breitbart News. Source for the admission being posted on X on Tuesday night (20 October), the quoted description of the 'experimental project', and the states whose races the firm polled.
- 03.
Mediaite. National Polling Company Admits It's Totally Fake. (2026). Source for the text of The New York Times's editor's note, including the 20 October date of the admission, and for MS NOW reporting a Wedgewood poll of the Michigan governor's race.
- 04.
Greene, C. (2026). How a Fake Pollster May Have Hurt Real Candidates. TIME. Source for the firm describing itself as a 'fictional entity run by a small group of industry veterans', the New York Times, Newsweek, MS NOW and Politico having used its polls, the Michigan Senate primary poll and Mallory McMorrow's account of its effect, and Carr's and Gomez's statements.
- 05.
Ynetnews. 'It killed us': Fake US election polls infiltrate major media and damage campaigns. (2026). Source for The New York Times removing 15 Wedgewood surveys and Decision Desk HQ removing 17 from its averages.
- 06.
Lancaster, J. (2026). FCC Chair Brendan Carr echoes Trump, threatens broadcasters over 'fake polls'. Reason. Source for Carr's post on X and its quoted wording, and for Wedgewood's polls having appeared in FiftyPlusOne and The New York Times.
- 07.
Butts, T. (2026). Carr Warns Broadcasters Against Reporting 'Fake' Polls. TV Technology. Source for the quoted advice to broadcasters about news distortion and broadcast hoaxes.
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Reviewed Oct 28, 2026Recent changes
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