Fake poll claim emerged this month when a survey circulating about the Los Angeles mayoral race that showed Karen Bass with a substantial lead over Nithya Raman was disavowed by the firm that produced it. The company, Median Strategies, acknowledged the poll was not legitimate and said it has ceased distribution of the results.
Median Strategies issued a notice withdrawing the survey after its release attracted attention from local campaigns and media outlets. The disputed poll had portrayed a wide margin between the incumbent mayor and the city council member, a dynamic that, while reported widely while the data circulated, is now in question following the firm’s statement.
Karen Bass and Nithya Raman have not been implicated by the firm’s statement; rather, the development pertains to the integrity of the specific piece of research and its dissemination. Campaign teams, reporters and observers who relied on the poll’s numbers must now reassess any public claims or coverage grounded in those figures as the provenance and methodology of the survey have been called into doubt.
Broader implications of the episode include renewed attention to how surveys are commissioned, vetted and shared in the run-up to competitive local contests. The incident underscores the need for transparent methodology, clear disclosure of sponsorship and verification before poll results are amplified in campaign discourse or media reporting. As the Los Angeles mayoral race continues, observers say scrutiny of polling practices is likely to remain a topic among journalists, political operatives and voters seeking reliable information about the contest.
