Story perspectives

Fake Poll Shows Bass Ahead; Creator Withdraws Results

8/21/2026

Left

Median Strategies Fabricates Poll

Median Strategies released a poll on August 12 claiming Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass led Nithya Raman by nearly 12 points in the mayoral runoff.
The fabricated poll endangered vulnerable voters by distorting election information and revealing gaps in poll verification.
Median Strategies later called the poll a fake short-term social experiment and withdrew the results.
California Post and aggregators spread the poll; Bass-related prediction contracts rose, indicating manipulation.

Right

Bass Demands Probe

Median Strategies released a poll on August 12 showing Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ahead of Nithya Raman by nearly 12 points.
The poll said 16 % had voted for Spencer Pratt, with 85 % of those backing Bass in the general election.
Median Strategies called the poll a short-term social experiment and later admitted it was fabricated.
Mayor Karen Bass posted the poll on X and demanded a criminal investigation.

Center

Bass Calls Investigation

Median Strategies released a poll on August 12 showing Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ahead of Nithya Raman by 12 points in runoff.
Bass’s campaign spokesperson said bad-faith attempts to influence the election should be investigated and prosecuted to fullest extent of law.
Nithya Raman’s campaign accused Bass’s team of promoting a fake poll without properly vetting the source.
Median Strategies announced on August 18 it ended the project and withdrew all prior releases.

Blindspot

The fabricated Median Strategies poll was said to threaten vulnerable voters by distorting election information and exposing gaps in poll verification.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Left-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Center- and Right-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

On November 7 2000, networks using Voter News Service exit polls declared Florida for Al Gore, then reversed the call as George W. Bush led by 1,784 votes, sparking a recount that ended with Bush winning by just 537 of 5,963,110 votes (0.009%). The episode drove the FEC and major outlets to adopt stricter poll-verification rules, a precedent confronting today’s fabricated Los Angeles poll.

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Median Strategies Fabricates Poll

Median Strategies released a poll on August 12 claiming Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass led Nithya Raman by nearly 12 points in the mayoral runoff.
The fabricated poll endangered vulnerable voters by distorting election information and revealing gaps in poll verification.
Median Strategies later called the poll a fake short-term social experiment and withdrew the results.
California Post and aggregators spread the poll; Bass-related prediction contracts rose, indicating manipulation.

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