A fake poll fooled the LA mayor’s campaign. It’s a ‘wake-up call’ for other politicians
A polling company released fake numbers showing LA Mayor Karen Bass ahead in her reelection race, which her campaign and news outlets treated as real. The company later said it was a "social experiment" and shut down, raising concerns about misinformation in elections and the reliability of political polls.
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National story. 42 articles from 33 sources. Updated Aug 20, 2026.
Left
7 sourcesFake polling from mysterious company highlights danger of unvetted election surveys
Poll showing Bass leading Raman by double digits was bogus, company says
Center
11 sourcesA fake poll fooled the LA mayor’s campaign. It’s a ‘wake-up call’ for other politicians
Poll showing LA Mayor Bass leading Raman by a wide margin was fake: Company
Right
15 sourcesNow-Defunct Fake Polling Company Released Fake Polls As a 'Social Experiment'
Mysterious polling firm behind fake election surveys closes after admitting ‘social experiment’
The story so far
3 developments- Aug 17Poll showing LA Mayor Karen Bass leading Nithya Raman by a wide margin was fake: company
- Aug 19Fake Polling Could Upend the Midterm Elections
- Aug 19What to know about the fake election poll numbers shared and retracted by a mysterious company
Who covered each development
No new developments
Quiet for 59 daysLast development · Aug 19 — What to know about the fake election poll numbers shared and retracted by a mysterious company