Full Breakdown
Fake Los Angeles Mayoral Poll Withdrawn After Company Admits It Was a Social Experiment
8/18/2026, 9:04:32 PM
The Bogus Los Angeles Mayoral Poll
A poll released earlier this month that showed Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass leading City Council member Nithya Raman by almost 12 points was later declared fabricated by the firm that produced it. Median Strategies announced that it had ended its polling project, withdrawn all previously released data, and warned that the poll should not be cited as genuine information.
How the Fake Poll Was Created
Median Strategies described the effort as a short-term social experiment designed to test how unverified polling data could spread through the political information ecosystem. The company said the poll was based on responses from 560 Angelenos with a reported 4.1 percent margin of error. It also included figures such as 16 percent of respondents indicating support for former reality-TV candidate Spencer Pratt, with 85 percent of those Pratt supporters allegedly planning to vote for Bass and 7 percent saying they would back Raman in the November election.
Reactions from the Campaigns
Following the revelation, a Bass campaign spokesperson called for any “bad-faith attempts to influence elections” to be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Data Reported in the Fabricated Survey
Implications for Election Discourse
The episode highlights how unverified polling can quickly enter public discourse and influence perceptions of candidate viability. Both campaigns’ responses underscore concerns about misinformation, the need for verification of polling data, and the potential legal ramifications of disseminating false electoral information.
