Pro-Palestinian democratic socialist Francesca Hong polling far ahead in Wisconsin governor’s race

Polling Firm Shuts Down After Admitting Hoax

A polling firm has closed its doors after admitting it released fake election surveys for the Los Angeles mayoral race and the Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial primary, calling the effort a "social experiment." Median Strategies, which published polls showing wide leads for Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Wisconsin candidate Francesca Hong, announced this week that the surveys were a hoax, as reported by Fox News.

"Median Strategies was created as a short-term social experiment to examine how purported polling information could enter and spread through the political information ecosystem without independent verification," the company posted on its website. "Median Strategies has concluded its polling project and will not publish additional polls."

The polling firm told Fox News it was not affiliated with any candidate, political action committee, or party. Median Strategies also told the Los Angeles Times it was "not seeking publicity or attribution for the individuals involved and are declining interviews."

The company's fake polls were reported on social media, by some local TV newscasts, and online news outlets.

The Wisconsin Primary

In the Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial primary held on August 11, 2026, state Rep. Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist, was widely reported to be polling comfortably in the lead. A poll by State Navigate, conducted one week before the primary, showed Hong with 44% support, twice the total for Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. Marquette Law School polling also reportedly showed Hong with a wide lead.

Hong's campaign drew national attention, with the Jerusalem Post reporting that she appeared on livestream fundraisers with Hasan Piker and Michael Beyer, the latter of whom called Jewish identity "a constructed ethnicity, this demonic ethnicity, wholly invented." The report also noted Hong's record on Israel and antisemitism, which it said was "of concern to Wisconsin Jews."

Despite the polling, Crowley ultimately defeated Hong in the primary by a razor-thin margin. The discrepancy between the reported polls and the final result raises questions about the reliability of the surveys, though the exact impact of the hoax polls on the race is not specified.

Los Angeles Mayoral Race

The fake polls also affected the Los Angeles mayoral primary. One Median Strategies poll showed Bass with a 12-point lead over City Council member Nithya Raman, citing 560 respondents with a 4.1% margin of error. In the actual primary, Bass led Raman by five points, with Spencer Pratt coming in third.

Other Primaries

The report on the fake polls comes amid a broader context of polling questions in other races. Election results in Wisconsin came a week after Michigan polls showed Abdul El-Sayed with a large lead over Haley Stevens; El-Sayed won by a narrow margin. Polls for Minnesota's Senate primary underestimated Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan's lead over Angie Craig; Flanagan won by roughly 20 points.

These examples illustrate the challenges of relying on polling data in election coverage, especially when fake surveys can enter the information ecosystem.