From New York Post · · 1m
Sneaky troll polls boost far left
Fake polls boost far left but voters keep falling for them.
In brief
Fake polls boost far left but voters keep falling for them. Fake polls have boosted Democratic Socialists but voters remain vulnerable to misleading data. Originally reported by New York Post.
Fake polls boost far left
Wedgewood Polls, a new polling company, published 17 fake polls this election cycle with only one real survey.
“Wedgewood Polls, another new polling company that emerged this election cycle, was a complete fraud.”
Democratic Socialists gain traction
Fake polls boosted Democratic Socialists like Francesca Hong and Cori Bush in Wisconsin and Michigan.
“The fake polls have shown good news for both Democratic and Republican candidates, and sometimes for establishment Democrats such as Karen Bass against progressive challengers.”
Polls cited by major outlets
The New York Times, Decision Desk HQ, Vote Hub, and Nate Silver included Wedgewood’s fake polls in their election data.
“Wedgwood polls were cited on MS NOW and touted by Mississippi Democrat Scott Colom when its survey showed him tied in his US Senate race against Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.”
Democratic candidates affected
Haley Stevens and Mallory McMorrow, Democrats who lost to Abdul El-Sayed, blamed fake polls for their declining fundraising.
“Donations dried up, volunteers were devastated and pleading for guidance on what to do.”
El-Sayed wins narrow margin
Abdul El-Sayed won the Michigan Senate race by a narrower margin than the fake polls projected.
“As it turned out, El-Sayed won by a much narrower margin than the polling had projected.”
Historical pattern of fake polls
In 2010, Research 2000 published fake polls for Daily Kos that influenced Democratic primaries.
“The last big fake-polls scandal broke in 2010, when a firm called Research 2000 published bogus surveys for progressive blog Daily Kos, and founder Markos Moulitsas sued the company for fraud.”
At a glance
Fake polls have boosted Democratic Socialists but voters remain vulnerable to misleading data.
