15 Fake Wedgewood Polls Made It Into The New York Times Tracker
A small firm admitted its battleground state data was fictitious, prompting a review of how polling aggregators verify sources.
By Jonathan Reed ·
Wedgewood Polls admitted this month that its statistical results for Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Kansas, and Maine were fabricated. The firm released a statement on social media describing the work as an experimental project intended to test the low barrier to entry in the US polling industry. The account where the statement was posted has since been deleted. The admission came after the data had already circulated widely through political media.
The firm launched in June. Its surveys attracted attention from campaigns, commentators, and data compilers. The New York Times listed 15 Wedgewood surveys on its polling tracker between June and October. The newspaper removed them after the fraud was exposed. The Times stated that the firm had answered questions regarding its personnel, methodology, and funding before inclusion. It clarified that the surveys were not part of its presidential approval or national congressional averages. However, the inclusion on the tracker highlighted a gap in verification processes.
FiftyPlusOne, a polling and forecasting website, identified inconsistencies in the raw data and technical identifiers. This investigation prompted Wedgewood to acknowledge that most of its results were made up. G Elliott Morris, a data journalist involved in the probe, questioned the firm's motive. "We were investigating Wedgewood for faking their data," Morris said. "They are trying to cover up for their fraud with the 'we were doing a social experiment' excuse."
This is the second fake polling scandal in the 2026 election cycle. In August, Median Strategies admitted to faking results as a short-term social experiment. The recurrence has raised concerns among researchers about the integrity of election data. University of Washington researchers tracked the spread of the Wedgewood story on social media. They found that partisan commentators quickly framed the incident as evidence that polls favoring Democrats in tight races were untrustworthy.
President Donald Trump used the revelation to criticize The New York Times. "The New York Times got caught," he wrote on Truth Social. He suggested the incident would strengthen his $15 billion defamation suit against the newspaper. FCC Chair Brendan Carr stated there has been a significant surge in fake polls during the midterms. He urged broadcasters to avoid amplifying them to retain their federal licenses. Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez disagreed, noting that rules on news distortion do not apply to stations reporting data in good faith.
Mallory McMorrow, who suspended her Senate bid in July, cited Wedgewood data as a factor in her withdrawal. She said a poll showing her support in the single digits demoralized volunteers and reduced donations. She described the Wedgewood poll and one from Mitchell Research and Communications as a one-two punch that killed her campaign. Mark Baldassare, survey director at the Public Policy Institute of California, advised voters to look for transparency. "A credible survey will list its mission, the purpose of its polling, and its sponsors or funders," he said.
