Kari Lake, who lost Arizona’s 2022 governor’s race, claimed she had been robbed and tried to overturn the election results in court. However, a poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports after the election showed that a majority of respondents claimed to have voted for Lake. According to the poll, Lake had an eight-point lead over Gov. Katie Hobbs. This poll, based on a sample of 1,001 people, suggested a miraculous 92% voter turnout rate, much higher than the certified rate of 62.56%. Mark Mitchell, Rasmussen Reports’ lead pollster, fueled the conspiracy theory that Lake had been robbed of victory, stating that Arizona voters believed there were irregularities and cheating.
Lake celebrated the poll results, claiming that a “Red Wave” had occurred and that she, along with Republican candidates Abe Hamadeh and Mark Finchem, had actually won the election. However, political analysts criticized Rasmussen Reports for conducting a poll months after the election and using it to question the actual election results. They considered this approach to be backwards and inappropriate. Rasmussen Reports, once known for its right-leaning polling, had shifted its behavior by amplifying conspiracy theories and fringe views, which pleased right-wing politicians and influencers.
Rasmussen Reports faced pushback from within the pollster and political science community, with some experts refusing to consider them a legitimate pollster. ABC News, along with its subsidiary FiveThirtyEight, threatened to ban Rasmussen Reports from its election coverage unless it answered questions about methodology and its relationship with right-wing outlets. CNN also refrained from reporting on Rasmussen Reports polls due to its failure to meet the network’s editorial standards.
Rasmussen Reports responded to the criticism by publishing the email from ABC and claiming that mainstream media ignored and attacked them for polling on “forbidden” topics. Despite the backlash, the company continued to conduct and publish polls on various right-wing grievance topics.
Rasmussen Reports is known for its conservative bias and unique polling methods, such as using automated digital voices instead of human operators. They have become a major player in the polling market, often influencing aggregators like FiveThirtyEight. The company has faced criticism for its sponsors, including right-wing figures and organizations, as well as its secretive methodology and leading questions that tend to favor Republicans.
Overall, Rasmussen Reports’ shift towards amplifying conspiracy theories and fringe views has sparked controversy and led to scrutiny from within the pollster and political science community.