Fake Polls Are Now Affecting the Los Angeles Mayoral Race * * by Mike LaChance

The United States is facing significant challenges with polling accuracy.

Recent polling errors were evident in the Michigan Democrat Senate primary and the Wisconsin Democrat governor primary, where polls inaccurately favored far-left candidates.

A similar situation has emerged in Los Angeles, where a poll incorrectly suggested that Karen Bass, considered the establishment candidate, was favored over Nithya Raman, associated with the Democratic Socialists of America.

According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, via Yahoo News:

Company Discloses Poll Favoring Bass Over Raman Was Fabricated

A survey suggesting Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was leading Councilmember Nithya Raman by a significant margin—and attracting support from most voters who had backed Spencer Pratt in the mayoral primary—was fabricated, as acknowledged by the company behind it on Monday.

The fraudulent poll, conducted by Median Strategies, claimed that Bass was ahead of Raman by almost 12 percentage points before the November 3 mayoral runoff, based on responses from 560 Los Angeles voters surveyed between July 30 and August 5, with a stated margin of error of 4.1%.

On Monday, in response to inquiries from The Times, the company clarified that the so-called “poll” was not a legitimate survey.

“Median Strategies was established as a short-term social experiment to investigate how unverified polling data could circulate within the political information sphere,” the company explained in an email to The Times. “We are not seeking recognition or credit for those involved and are not granting interviews.”

The fictitious poll also alleged that 16% of respondents had voted for Pratt, with approximately 85% planning to vote for Bass in the general election, while around 7% intended to support Raman.

“Faced with a decision between the incumbent and a challenger aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America, most Pratt voters seem to perceive Bass as the more moderate, familiar option instead of not participating in the race,” Median’s analysis stated.

NEW: The company behind a recent poll that showed Karen Bass with a 12-point lead over Nithya Raman for LA mayor & showed Bass collecting most of Spencer Pratt’s prior support has admitted their poll was FAKE and was intended as a “social experiment” to see how a poll could…

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) August 17, 2026

Polling has long been a tool for partisans to sway public opinion, but the practice appears more prevalent in this election cycle.

Interestingly, the inaccuracies seem to consistently favor Democratic candidates. Isn’t that curious?