Fake Polls and Hateful Ads Are Poisoning American Politics (w/ Mallory McMorrow)

Read the original at The Bulwark ↗
Cite

Stein, S. (2026, October 23). Fake Polls and Hateful Ads Are Poisoning American Politics (w/ Mallory McMorrow). The Bulwark. https://www.thebulwark.com/p/bulwark-sam-and-mallory-substack

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

The Bulwark · collected 2026-10-23 · by Sam Stein commentary

Quick Summary

Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow discusses on Sam Stein's show how a fabricated poll negatively impacted her Senate campaign by drying up donations, rattling volunteers, and prompting reporters to ask about her dropping out. The episode explores broader issues in American politics, such as fake polls, scam political action committees, and the need for more transparency and accountability. Additionally, McMorrow addresses Islamophobic ads and death threats against women running for office in Michigan.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-23, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Mallory McMorrow, a Michigan State Senator, recently joined journalist Sam Stein on his podcast to discuss the impact of fake polls on her Senate campaign, which led to dried-up donations and volunteer disarray. The fabricated poll negatively influenced media coverage and donor confidence, prompting reporters to question when she would withdraw from the race. Additionally, McMorrow highlighted broader issues in American politics, such as scam political action committees (PACs) and the need for increased transparency and accountability. She also addressed Islamophobic attacks against Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, including harmful campaign ads and death threats aimed at women candidates running for state office.

Written for “Fake Polls And Hateful Ads” on 2026-10-23, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted verbatim and was checked against the article text before being stored, so you can find it in the original.
Reading Leans strongly left (beta estimate) Confidence high
Leaning: leans strongly left for article 100992 (high confidence, 4 verified quotes) · logged 2026-10-23

Story

📰 Fake Polls And Hateful Ads
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans strongly left and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr Echoes Trump, Threatens Broadcasters Over 'Fake Polls' different event · 95%
Reason
⚖️ Leans left further right than this 🔴 22% hedged 7 of 32 📰 publisher trust 67
“Article A discusses FCC Chair Brendan Carr's threat towards broadcasters over 'fake polls', while Article B focuses on the impact of a fabricated poll on Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow's Senate campaign.”
What we know about who’s behind the fake polling operation Wedgewood Polls different event · 85%
Washington Examiner
⚖️ Centre further right than this 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 2 📰 publisher trust 66
“While both articles discuss fake polls, Article A focuses on identifying those behind Wedgewood Polls, while Article B discusses the impact of a fabricated poll specifically on Mallory McMorrow's Senate campaign.”
Sick trolls fess up to making fake polls that helped Abdul El-Sayed  in Michigan: ‘Far too easy’ different event · 20%
New York Post
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 3% hedged 1 of 30 📰 publisher trust 66
“Article A describes a poll firm confessing to releasing fake polls, while Article B focuses on the impact of those fake polls on Mallory McMorrow's Senate campaign.”
Fake polls are a real problem different event · 20%
Silver Bulletin
⚖️ Leans left further right than this 🔴 6% hedged 7 of 121
“Article A discusses a general issue of fake polls and mentions Wedgewood Polls as an example, while Article B focuses on Mallory McMorrow's experience with a fabricated poll affecting her Senate campaign.”
Fake pollsters and bogus polls becoming a real issue in U.S. midterms different event · 20%
National Post
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 15% hedged 3 of 20 📰 publisher trust 60
“Article A discusses a general issue of fake polls in U.S. midterms, while Article B focuses on the specific impact of a fabricated poll on Mallory McMorrow's Senate campaign.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
9
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 9 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans strongly left
expected in commentary, which argues a position · beta estimate
Publisher signals
not measured
these signals count newsroom corrections; Commentary has none to count
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-23 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Bulwark · 485 article(s) · 0 correction(s) detected
No corrections detected for this publisher. That may mean careful reporting, or simply that nothing has been checked.

Who wrote this

Sam Stein
25 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow joins Sam Stein for her take on how a fabricated poll had real consequences for her Senate campaign, drying up donations, rattling volunteers, and prompting reporters to ask when she would drop out.
2026-10-23 · assertive framing · Fake Polls and Hateful Ads Are Poisoning American Politics (w/ Mallory McMorrow)
🔮 Trump would rather talk about men’s butts.
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · Trump Is Running His Administration Like a Male Beauty Pageant
🔮 Sam Stein and Will Sommer break down the foreign money scandal involving Alina Habba’s new husband, Ric Grenell, and the Kennedy Center.
2026-10-19 · assertive framing · MAGA Mondays with Will Sommer and Sam Stein
🔮 Sam and Andrew discuss Trump’s increasingly grievance-driven rallies, his lack of a positive vision for voters, and the disturbing implications of a president who seems willing to declare reality into existence.
2026-10-13 · assertive framing · Trump Jokes as Woman Is Beaten at His Rally
🔮 The Daily Wire is Making the Most MAGA Movie Imaginable Sam Stein and Will Sommer break down the leaked script for the Daily Wire’s upcoming fictional movie Pawn Shop, a pro-ICE thriller set amid an imagined Antifa siege of a Minneapolis pawn shop. Sam Stein and Will Sommer break down the leaked script for the Daily Wire’s upcoming fictional movie Pawn Shop, a pro-ICE thriller set amid an imagined Antifa siege of a Minneapolis pawn shop.
2026-10-02 · assertive framing · The Daily Wire is Making the Most MAGA Movie Imaginable
🔮 They also discuss Trump’s claim that annihilating Iran would create peace, his latest attempt to rewrite his four-to-six-week timeline, his complaints about “negative” questions, and his fixation on the White House renovations and other personal projects.
2026-10-01 · mixed framing · Trump Crashes Out: You Haven't Asked "One F**king Positive Question"
🔮 They also dig into Hegseth’s new Project Meridian, which will bring together Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey and Newt Gingrich to study the future of warfare, as well as his proposal to have governors compete for new troop deployments.
2026-09-30 · assertive framing · Pete Hegseth's Speech Was a Hyper-Macho Freak Show
🔮 Schmitt thought he had a smoking gun showing Smith was in Atlanta for a Hawks game on the same day as a controversy involving Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
2026-09-29 · assertive framing · Amy Klobuchar Exposes Eric Schmitt’s Jack Smith Blunder
🔮 A recording from The Bulwark’s live video Sam Stein and Will Sommer break down the latest drama on the online right, from a bizarre AI video posted by Trump aide Dan Scavino to the growing influence of QAnon conspiracy theories inside Trump world.
2026-09-28 · assertive framing · MAGA Mondays: Trump Admin Party Video Sparks MAGA Backlash
🔮 Sam Stein and Will Saletan take a look at Donald Trump’s latest architectural fever dream: a 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington Cemetery that Trump says will double as a “top grade Military Complex,” complete with drones and snipers.
2026-09-21 · assertive framing · Trump’s New Defense Of The Arch Is INCREDIBLY Stupid
Also by Sam Stein
Trump Is Running His Administration Like a Male Beauty Pageant
2026-10-20 · The Bulwark
MAGA Mondays with Will Sommer and Sam Stein
2026-10-19 · The Bulwark
Trump Jokes as Woman Is Beaten at His Rally
2026-10-13 · The Bulwark
Senator Who Served With JD Vance Explains Why He’ll Never Be President (w/ Sen. Schatz)
2026-10-11 · The Bulwark
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 25 articles by Sam Stein →

Topics

American JVL Michigan State Senate The Bulwark

Subjects

Mallory McMorrow PERSON · 3× The Bulwark ORG · 3× American NORP · 2× JVL ORG · 2× McMorrow PERSON · 2× Michigan State GPE · 2× Sam Stein PERSON · 2× Senate ORG · 2× Abdul El-Sayed PERSON · 1× Michigan GPE · 1×

Narrative

Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow joins Sam Stein for her take on how a fabricated poll had real consequences for her Senate campaign, drying up donations, rattling volunteers, and prompting reporters to ask when she would drop out.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-23
🔮 Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow joins Sam Stein for her take on how a fabricated poll had real consequences for her Senate campaign, drying up donations, rattling volunteers, and prompting reporters to ask when she would drop out.
2026-10-23 · The Bulwark
Fake Polls and Hateful Ads Are Poisoning American Politics (w/ Mallory McMorrow) · assertive framing

Claims (9 extracted, 0 hedged)

Fake Polls and Hateful Ads Are Poisoning American Politics (w/ Mallory McMorrow) asserted
Polls → poison → McMorrow
Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow joins Sam Stein for her take on how a fabricated poll had real consequences for her Senate campaign, drying up donations, rattling volunteers, and prompting reporters to ask when she would drop out. asserted
she → join → reporters
Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow joins Sam Stein for her take on how a fabricated poll had real consequences for her Senate campaign, drying up donations, rattling volunteers, and prompting reporters to ask when she would drop out. asserted
she → join → reporters
They examine how fake polling can distort media coverage, influence donors, and shape the narratives surrounding elections, even when the numbers are completely made up. asserted
numbers → examine → elections
McMorrow also discusses the broader problems plaguing American politics, from scam PACs to the need for greater transparency and accountability. asserted
McMorrow → discuss → transparency
Plus, McMorrow weighs in on the attacks against Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, including Islamophobic campaign ads and the death threats against women running for state office. asserted
McMorrow → weigh → office
Unlock this story—and everything from The Bulwark Become a paying member of The Bulwark to get access to this story and other subscriber-only content. asserted
Unlock → unlock → story
A subscription gets you: - Never hit a Bulwark paywall again — get every article and newsletter, including JVL's Triad, The Focus Group, and Receipts. asserted
subscription → get → Triad
- Get more from the voices you follow — ad-free podcasts plus member-only shows like The Secret Podcast with Sarah Longwell and JVL. - Get closer to The Bulwark — member-only chats, comments, and early access to Bulwark LIVE tickets. asserted
you → get → tickets
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support
Terms · Privacy · beta v2.0.0
Articles to 23 Oct 2026