Median Strategies Admits Fake Polls as $10 Million Midterm Tactics Escalate
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 1
Median Strategies Admits Fake Polls as $10 Million Midterm Tactics Escalate
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 1
Summary
Median Strategies told the Los Angeles Times its widely circulated polls were fake, calling the operation a short-term “social experiment” after journalists scrutinized its claims.
The outfit, recently revealed to have been run by a 21-year-old, had pushed surveys in the Los Angeles mayoral race and the Wisconsin and Nevada governor races that were amplified by media outlets and even cited by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
Those fabricated polls fit a broader 2026 pattern in which both parties are using aggressive methods to shape key races, from boosting weaker rivals in opposing primaries to routing money through deceptively named committees.
More than $10 million from Democratic donors and allied groups has backed five independents in Republican-leaning areas, while Republicans have also exploited filing deadlines and candidate-name confusion in races such as Alaska and Montana.
With control of Congress at stake in several toss-up contests, the spread of fake polling and other ballot tactics risks further eroding trust in elections and government.