Ex-Senate hopeful erupts after pollster admits faking data: ‘It was treated like a game’

Wedgewood Polls was among several firms that released data during the 2026 Democratic primary race for the U.S. Senate showing state Sen. Mallory McMorrow trailing her opponents by a wide margin and Abdul El-Sayed — the eventual nominee — well ahead of his chief rival, U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens of Birmingham. But Wedgewood now says the poll’s data was fake and was an “experiment” designed to be a “wake-up call” to voters about the vulnerabilities of modern polling.Wedgewood made the admission after election analysis website FiftyPlusOne said Tuesday that it had launched an investigation into how the firm had conducted its survey research.A poll released by Wedgewood Polls on June 24 showed El-Sayed ahead of the pack by 46%, Stevens at 39% and McMorrow with a low 9% potential vote share. That same poll showed McMorrow as the only candidate unable to beat Republican nominee Mike Rogers in the fall.McMorrow,...