Democrats are fuming after Wedgewood Polling, a supposed election survey company whose numbers portrayed far left candidates as serious contenders, admitted that its polling data had been fabricated.

Wedgewood released a statement Tuesday night acknowledging that it used “fabricated numbers” for an “experimental project to demonstrate the vulnerabilities, lack of oversight, and overall low barrier to entry in the modern political polling industry.”

The bogus surveys reached several consequential races. Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign cited the firm’s polling during his prominent Michigan primary contest against state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich.

The nonpartisan polling aggregator Political Polls also cited Wedgewood in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial race. That survey showed socialist Francesca Hong holding an edge over Republican candidate Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis.

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McMorrow said the numbers caused her donations to dry up while reporters “hounded” her with calls to leave the race. Her statement made clear that the alleged experiment had consequences for candidates, donors and supporters who treated the contest seriously.

“Sure, a point was proven. Polling is broken. But tens of thousands of people poured their hearts, time, energy, hard-earned money into something they believed in - for a year-and-a-half, and it was treated like a game,” McMorrow wrote on X.

“Trust is already at an all-time low. We don't get out of this mess without rebuilding trust. And media - who loves to ride the drama of a pollercoaster - needs to take a hard look at what's legitimate and what's not,” she continued.

El-Sayed advanced from Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, while Hong lost Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary to the candidate backed by the establishment. El-Sayed, a former Michigan public health official, is now locked in a tight race with former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., for Michigan’s open Senate seat.

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Democratic strategist Jennifer Holdsworth said she operated a super PAC that raised money for McMorrow. She said, “This poll was used by several donors to pull back funding at a time we were being outspent by $80 million.”

Wedgewood’s numbers were cited by prominent outlets including The New York Times and Decision Desk HQ. Both organizations said they have since removed the firm’s surveys from their projections.

So far, FOX News has been the only TV news channel to mention the Wedgewood Fake Poll Fiasco, whose “polls” were cited in the polling averages from the likes of the New York Times and were also showcased on MS NOW. https://t.co/3PhTkNL3FH

— Nick (@nspin310) October 21, 2026

The Times removed 15 Wedgewood polls published between June and October after the firm admitted fabricating data. The outlet said Wedgewood had answered questions about the pollsters’ identities, sampling methods, contact procedures, weighting practices and funding during the vetting process.

Decision Desk HQ removed 17 Wedgewood polls from its projections. It said the removal “has not changed the projected seat totals or chamber control probabilities in the Senate or House.”

Wedgewood insisted its project “was never intended to sway an election” and described it as a “wake-up call” concerning data integrity and vetting standards. That explanation did little to calm Democrats who say campaigns and donors were affected by the manufactured numbers.

“These people are absolute scumbags,” veteran Democratic strategist and former Kamala Harris advisor Mike Nellis told Fox News Digital. “They can try to claim that they have some moral high ground here, but they lied about their polling data, got caught, and are freaking out because they've committed fraud.”

“The people responsible for this should be run out of American politics, and if they can be, they should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Nellis said. He also called on Democrats, Republicans and the media to examine how polling is verified because others could be engaging in similar conduct.

Independent outlet FiftyPlusOne said it was investigating Wedgewood when the firm issued its statement. Co-founder G. Elliott Morris wrote that Wedgewood was attempting to cover up alleged fraud with the claim that the fabricated polling had been a social experiment.

The polling industry needs major reform. Our statement below: https://t.co/Sj8JLYgply

— Wedgewood Polls (@WedgewoodPolls) October 20, 2026

Former Obama staffer Tommy Vietor described Wedgewood’s conduct as “lying and fraud.” A group named Wedgewood Polls had also created a GoFundMe seeking $5,000 for polling in Nebraska’s gubernatorial and Senate races, but it raised $500.

Other Wedgewood surveys gave Democrats substantial advantages over Republicans. A July poll in Texas showed James Talarico leading state Attorney General Ken Paxton among Hispanics by 64% to 30%.

Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have long questioned polling accuracy. With control of Congress approaching a decisive contest in November, the admission has placed even more scrutiny on the political surveys used by campaigns, donors, and media organizations.

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