Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass used fabricated polling data last week to suggest her campaign for governor of Wisconsin was gaining momentum [1, 2].
The incident underscores the risks campaigns face when relying on unvetted election surveys. It reveals how easily fraudulent data can enter the public discourse via social media and official campaign communications [1, 3].
Bass posted on social media that a new poll showed her campaign was "gaining momentum" [1]. The data was provided by a firm called Median Strategies [1, 2]. The poll concerned the Democratic primary for governor in Wisconsin [1].
Median Strategies later said that the poll was fabricated [1, 2]. The firm admitted to fabricating multiple polls, though its origins and motivations remain unclear [1, 3].
Bass made the statement from Los Angeles, California [1]. The revelation that the data was fake came in mid-August [1, 2].
Election experts said the reliance on unvetted surveys creates a vulnerability for candidates. When campaigns share these results without verifying the methodology or the legitimacy of the firm, they risk spreading misinformation to voters [2, 3].
“"gaining momentum"”
This event highlights a growing vulnerability in modern political campaigns where the speed of social media often outweighs the rigor of data verification. By citing a non-existent trend, a high-profile politician inadvertently validated a fraudulent actor, demonstrating that even established officials can be misled by sophisticated but fake data analytics firms.
