Newsmax host Rob Finnerty in front of a graphic that says Polling Errors. the lower third says "polls suspiciously always have a Dem as a front-runner

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“Psyop”: The right-wing media figures claiming that midterm polls are designed to suppress conservative turnout

Written by Zachary Pleat & Gideon Taaffe

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As recent polling shows Republicans in serious danger of losing their congressional majorities, some in right-wing media are responding by claiming the polls are deliberately showing dismal GOP support in order to suppress Republican voter turnout, with some calling the polls a “psyop.” This follows President Donald Trump’s repeated second-term dismissals of poor polling as “fake polls.”

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  • What does current midterm polling show for Republicans in November?

    • As of September 22, NBC News’ polling average showed that voters would prefer a Democratic-run Congress to a Republican-run Congress by a nine-point margin. While Trump is not on the ballot, NBC News’ average of polls measuring presidential job approval finds 59% of people disapprove of Trump’s performance while only 39% approve. [NBC News, accessed, 9/28/26, 9/28/26]
    • Democratic Senate candidates appear to have a polling edge in races that could flip Senate seats from Republican to Democrat. A September 27 poll showed Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico leading the Republican nominee Ken Paxton by five points. RealClear Politics’ polling aggregate also shows Democratic Senate candidates leading in Ohio, Alaska, and North Carolina — all seats currently held by Republicans. And The Washington Post reported that a new update from the Cook Political Report had increased Democrats’ chances in Iowa, Kansas, and South Carolina. [The Hill, 9/27/26; RealClear Polling, accessed 9/28/26, 9/28/26, 9/28/26; The Washington Post, 9/26/26]
    • According to Reuters: “Republicans are pouring money into more than three dozen US House races previously considered ‘safe’ after internal polling showed they could be vulnerable.” Two Republican operatives spoke to Reuters, reportedly telling the outlet that “House Republican leaders recently warned dozens of campaigns that the party's internal data shows that they cannot ​assume they will win, even if they are currently ahead in public polls and represent districts Trump won by double digits.” [Reuters, 9/27/26]

  • How are some right-wing media figures reacting to these poll numbers?

    • Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts told Fox that midterm election polling is a “psyop ... to depress conservative turnout.” Roberts said, “I think that this prognosticating is a psyop by so many of these polling firms in order to do what, to depress conservative turnout. And so, I think it's really important that we understand the Senate is not going to flip. … I would agree, however, that the House is a jump ball.” [Fox Business, Mornings with Fox Business, 9/28/26]
    • Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon on midterm polling: “That psyop is out there pretty strongly.” Bannon said, “I want to make sure everybody understands that our fate is still in our hands, no matter what the media is telling you, no matter what they're saying about a blue tsunami, a blue wave.” [Real America’s Voice, War Room, 9/28/26] 
    • Newsmax host Rob Finnerty on polling showing dismal support for Republicans and Trump: “Do you think maybe the left is doing that on purpose?” Finnerty said, “Almost every poll out there, amazingly, always seems to have the Democrat winning. Have you noticed this? It’s happening again right now. We’re 40 days away from the midterms. All these polls have Democrats winning. They might win some of these races, they’re not going to win all of them. But if you’re a Republican, you’re probably pretty depressed. You might even stay home on Election Day and not vote because the polls are so bad. We’ve seen it before. You ever think maybe the left is doing that on purpose?” [Newsmax, Finnerty, 9/25/26]

  • What has Trump said about the polls during his second term?

    • Trump has lashed out against negative polls, including by calling them “fake polls,” at least 39 times in his second term. This includes 9 times in August alone. [Media Matters, 9/1/26]
    • Trump demanded that the Federal Communications Commission investigate media organizations over “fake polls.” [The Washington Sun, 8/30/26]
    • Trump praised Kevin Roberts’ Fox appearance regarding “Fake Polls and how well the Republicans are going to do in the upcoming Midterms.” [Truth Social, 9/28/26]