Polling Firm Says Data In Closely Watched DSA Race Was ‘Social Experiment,’ Then Shuts Down

A polling company that showed former Democratic Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong leading by over 20 points admitted to faking polls, then shut down Monday.

Median Strategies announced that its data was a “short-term social experiment” after releasing several polls related to the Wisconsin gubernatorial race and Los Angeles mayoral election. The company released a poll that showed Hong, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), leading her then-opponent David Crowley by over 20 points.

“Median Strategies was created as a short-term social experiment examining how purported polling information could enter and spread through the political information ecosystem without independent verification,” the company announced.

After several polls indicated she held a strong lead, Hong lost the race by less than 1% in the Aug. 11 primary election.

The group’s fake data claimed that Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass led City Councilwoman Nithya Raman by nearly 12 percentage points, and claimed 16% of its respondents voted for former reality television personality Spencer Pratt, who was knocked out of the race in June.

The Los Angeles Times first reported on the poll after reaching out to Median Strategies about their polling data. Median Strategies claimed it surveyed 560 Los Angeles voters between July 30 and Aug. 5.

“Faced with a choice between the incumbent and a Democratic Socialists of America-aligned challenger, most Pratt voters appear to be treating Bass as the more familiar, more moderate option rather than sitting out the race,” a memo from Median Strategies said.