Polling Firm Admits Massive Data Fraud In Bizarre Confession
Wedgewood Polls, a polling firm, confessed to fabricating its data and described the act as an experiment. The group said this project duped some media outlets that shared the fake results with the public. This confession came after other researchers asked the firm to explain its methods on Tuesday, October 20.
The outfit folded its fake data into major aggregates, according to RedState. By sharing these fake figures, they might have forced a Senate primary contender to exit the race. Wedgewood did not reply to a direct request for comment but posted a public statement on social media instead.
Amazing. NYT regurgitated this fake polling company's poll that has El-Sayed up six over Rogers. Other fake polls from them skew D https://t.co/ucPmsM577r https://t.co/aHyhjG0w2A
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) October 20, 2026
Minutes before publishing their memo, the firm sent a rude direct message to investigators. According to RedState, the note included "F* you" and the name of a person unconnected to the surveying group. Their statement alleges that aggregators like the New York Times and FiftyPlusOne failed to check their work before using the data.
Wedgewood took to social media to explain why they made up the numbers. The firm said they wanted to test a simple hypothesis about how easy it is to fool the media.
This admission points fingers at outlets like MS Now, which quoted their results live on air.
Unlike the NYT, G. Elliott Morris, and DDHQ, we didn't have to delete any polls from our averages because they were never included in the first place. https://t.co/sjqQlhfLAa
— Tom Bevan (@TomBevanRCP) October 21, 2026
This marks the second organization asserting it conducted an experiment after its findings were exposed as questionable. The Washington Examiner noted that Median Strategies made a similar claim in the past. The report also mentions a third group that was suspect, though the full details on that third entity remain unclear.
Other pollsters say this behavior shows just how fragile the system has become. An expert informed the Washington Examiner that aggregation platforms could be compromised if they received erroneous data from fraudulent polls. "It would not be hard to do," they said. Natalie Jackson, founder of Centerline Research, called the firm's behavior unethical.
When a firm can lie and get believed, voters lose the ability to make smart choices about their leaders.