government
A fake poll fooled the LA mayor’s campaign. It’s a 'wake-up call' for other politicians
Summary by The Los Angeles Editorial Desk · Byline on the source page: Maya C. Miller | CalMatters , as published by LAist (KPCC / Southern California Public Radio)
· August 20, 2026
· 1 min read
Photo: LAist (KPCC / Southern California Public Radio) · view original
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Summary created by The Los Angeles Editorial Desk — automated, rule-governed Byline on source page Maya C. Miller | CalMatters, as published by LAist (KPCC / Southern California Public Radio) Original story Read at the source Source published Aug 20, 2026 Indexed here Aug 21, 2026 AI assistance Automated summary drawn from the source’s own published text Prepublication human review No — editorial rules, flagged-item review, and published samples
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Key points Mark Baldassare, a public opinion researcher, has expressed concern over the fake survey, calling it a "wake-up call" for politicians. The poll, published by Median Strategies, claimed to show one candidate leading by double digits.
A fake poll has been discovered, showing surprising results in a potential matchup between two politicians. The poll, published by Median Strategies, claimed to show one candidate leading by double digits. However, the findings have been found to be completely made-up.
Mark Baldassare, a public opinion researcher, has expressed concern over the fake survey, calling it a "wake-up call" for politicians. He has never encountered a completely fake poll with made-up findings in his career.
Further details about the fake poll and its implications are available from the source. The incident has raised concerns about the authenticity of political polls.
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Category: government ·
Published: August 20, 2026 ·
Source: LAist (KPCC / Southern California Public Radio) ·
Reading time: 1 min
Frequently asked about this story
What is this story about? A fake poll has been discovered, showing surprising results in a potential matchup between two politicians. The poll, published by Median Strategies, claimed to show one candidate leading by double…
When was this published? This article was first published on August 20, 2026 by LAist (KPCC / Southern California Public Radio) and curated for The Los Angeles readers.
Who reported this story? This story was reported by Maya C. Miller | CalMatters at LAist (KPCC / Southern California Public Radio). To learn more about how The Los Angeles selects and reviews stories, see our editorial standards .
Where can I find related coverage? See more government coverage from The Los Angeles, or browse our daily briefing and topic hubs .
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