Overview
- Wedgewood Polling acknowledged that a large portion of its published poll results were fabricated and has taken down its website and social accounts.
- Major media and aggregation services removed dozens of Wedgewood surveys from their databases after the admission, while some forecasters said overall national seat projections were not materially altered.
- Democratic candidates including Mallory McMorrow and Francesca Hong say the bogus polls produced real campaign harms such as lost donations, demoralized volunteers and increased media pressure.
- Wedgewood described the work as a 'social experiment' meant to test industry vulnerability, a claim that has been met with sharp condemnation and demands for accountability from strategists and commentators.
- The episode follows a similar admission by another firm this year and has prompted calls for tighter vetting, clearer methodology disclosure by pollsters, and possible regulatory or legal scrutiny of polling practices.