FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2026

Contact:
Alana Joyce
Executive Director
(703) 245-8021

AAPC: Fabricated Polling Undermines Voters, Press and Campaigns

Association says Median Strategies is not a member; officers call for disclosure and named accountability in public polling

MCLEAN, VA (August 19, 2026) – The American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) today responded to the disclosure that Median Strategies, an entity that had presented itself as an independent polling and research firm, fabricated the surveys it published in the Los Angeles mayoral race and the Wisconsin governor’s race. Median Strategies is not a member of AAPC.

The firm acknowledged on August 17 that its polls were not genuine, withdrew all of its releases, and described the effort as a social experiment in how purported polling information spreads without independent verification. Both polls had circulated in news coverage and campaign messaging before the admission. The individuals involved have not identified themselves.

“Professional polling is accountable polling,” said AAPC President Kyle Roberts. “Researchers who stand behind their numbers put their names on them, disclose how the work was done, and accept that their record will be judged against results. This outfit avoided every one of those obligations and then borrowed the credibility of people who do not.”

Publishing fabricated survey data as independent research is not a social experiment, the association said. It is a deception directed at voters, at the press, and at the campaigns that rely on public data to make decisions. Whatever the intent, the effect is to erode confidence in the legitimate research AAPC members produce and the public depends on.

“Fabricated polling does not stop at the public,” said AAPC Vice President Kelly Gibson, a media consultant. “It reaches the people making spending and strategy decisions on a deadline, and those decisions do not get unmade when the retraction comes.”

AAPC said any organization publishing public survey data should disclose who conducted the research, who paid for it, how respondents were reached, when they were in the field, the sample size, and how the data were weighted. AAPC members agree to a Code of Professional Ethics reflecting these obligations.

The association added that responsibility also runs in the other direction. An unfamiliar firm with no named principals, no track record, and no methodological disclosure should not be treated as a credible source by journalists, campaigns, or platforms, regardless of whether the numbers are convenient.

AAPC takes no position on the races involved. The association’s concern, in both cases, is the integrity of the profession and the reliability of the information voters receive.

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About AAPC

The American Association of Political Consultants is the bipartisan trade association for the political consulting profession. Founded in 1969, AAPC represents more than 2,000 members, including political consultants, pollsters, media consultants, campaign managers, public affairs professionals and vendors. AAPC promotes ethical standards and defends political free speech and maintains a Code of Professional Ethics for its members.