Brendan Carr warns broadcasters about ‘fake polls’ as a real polling scandal unfolds

Poynter · Amaris Castillo · last updated October 22, 2026 – 3:36 AM

Carr didn’t identify the polls he was targeting but warned that broadcasters could run afoul of their federal licenses

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr warned broadcasters Wednesday that airing what he calls “Fake Polls and Suppression Polls” could violate their regulatory obligations, putting the FCC in the middle of how broadcasters cover political polling less than two weeks before the midterm elections.

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