Politics · October 21, 2026
Sick trolls fess up to making fake polls that helped Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan: ‘Far too easy’
Part of: Michigan Senate: El-Sayed vs. Rogers →
A polling entity named Wedgewood Polls has admitted to fabricating data used in Michigan's US Senate race, claiming the deception was a social experiment to test the vulnerability of polling aggregates. The revelation follows an investigation by FiftyPlusOne and has been linked to shifts in the political landscape of the primary, while the Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed simultaneously faces personal attacks regarding his faith and family.
Read the original coverage
- New York PostAllSides: Right (News)MBFC: Right-Center
Sick trolls fess up to making fake polls that helped Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan: ‘Far too easy’
Read at New York Post ↗ Abdul El-Sayed Confronts Attacks on His Faith and Family Ties
Read at The New York Times ↗- BreitbartMBFC: Right
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed: Second Amendment Protects 'Equal Rights to a Musket'
Read at Breitbart ↗ - The New RepublicMBFC: Left
Transcript: Abdul El-Sayed on His Viral Takedown of MAGA Heckler
Read at The New Republic ↗
Reported across the spectrum
- Wedgewood Polls admitted to fabricating data in surveys cited by polling aggregates.
- The polling group claimed the fabrication was a 'social experiment' to test public trust and methodology vulnerabilities.
- Michigan state Senator Mallory McMorrow has partially attributed the decline of her Senate bid to these fake polls.
Reported by only some outlets
- FiftyPlusOne was preparing an investigation into Wedgewood Polls before the group's confession.
- Abdul El-Sayed is confronting attacks regarding his faith and family ties in the final weeks of the campaign.
- Wedgewood Polls' staff previously worked in the research sector.
Left-leaning outlets tend to emphasize…
emphasize the personal and religious attacks El-Sayed is facing, framing him as a candidate pushing back against 'ugly attacks' on his identity.
Right-leaning outlets tend to emphasize…
focus on the mechanics of the polling fraud, the 'troll' nature of the perpetrators, and the specific impact the fake data had on the Democratic primary race.
Where coverage diverges
Coverage diverges along left/right lines — see Framing tab for specifics.
About these outlets
CadNews does not determine absolute truth or endorse political viewpoints. It compares publicly available reporting, identifies shared facts, highlights framing differences, and flags uncertainty.