Wedgewood Polling fake poll controversy
The gist
Wedgewood Polls admitted all its numbers were made up, saying only one Nebraska survey was real.
The fake data reached major aggregators and media, raising questions about polling vetting.
How it unfolded
- Jun 2026Wedgewood Polls' first published poll, for the Louisiana U.S. Senate Republican Primary, was widely off the mark — nearly a 13-point swing from its days-old poll when results were tallied.
- Oct 12, 2026 –14, 2026Wedgewood surveyed 511 likely voters and found Cindy Hyde-Smith leading Scott Colom 52 percent to 48 percent, a gap inside its 4.3-point margin of error.
- Oct 15, 2026Wedgewood shared raw survey data with FiftyPlusOne; the data is now confirmed fraudulent.