POLICY WIRE FACT CHECK: Viral Falsehoods and Strategic Distortion in the 2026 Midterms
The Claim In the lead-up to the 2026 midterm elections, a massive surge of viral claims and political advertisements emerged across social media and television airwaves. These claims primarily...
The Claim
In the lead-up to the 2026 midterm elections, a massive surge of viral claims and political advertisements emerged across social media and television airwaves. These claims primarily centered on three volatile themes: the economic impact of inflation and gasoline prices, the funding of gender-affirming care for minors, and the alleged suppression of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation files. Specifically, viral narratives and ads claimed that Democratic candidates were pushing for ‘sex changes’ in children and that Republican senators had voted against the release of investigative files regarding the late convicted sex offender.
Furthermore, high-profile political figures and PACs accused their opponents of ‘gutting’ Medicare and Social Security through the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ (OBBA), while simultaneously claiming that Democrats opposed popular tax cuts on tips and overtime. These claims circulated widely through coordinated social media campaigns and local-level television spots, leading to significant public concern and confusion regarding the actual legislative records of the candidates.
The Details & Investigation
Our investigation into the 2026 election cycle reveals a complex landscape of both MISINFORMATION—unintentional use of outdated data—and DISINFORMATION—deliberate deceptions. Regarding the economy, while both parties utilized inflation as a weapon, the data shows that as of late October 2026, annualized inflation sat at 3.7% and gasoline was at $4.27 per gallon, higher than the metrics at the start of the second Trump term. However, a specific North Carolina Senate race saw Democratic candidate Roy Cooper use an out-of-date quote from 2025 by his opponent Michael Whatley to portray him as out of touch. This is a clear case of MISINFORMATION, where the economic context had shifted significantly between the original statement and the election-cycle ad.
The investigation into gender-affirming care reveals a more aggressive form of DISINFORMATION. Over $162 million was spent on ads since Labor Day claiming Democratic opponents support ‘sex changes’ for children. Our analysis found that several ads in Texas claimed Democrat James Talarico voted against a 2023 bill because he found it ‘overly broad,’ not because he opposed surgeries for children. Crucially, medical experts and studies confirm that gender-affirming surgeries typically take place after the age of 18. By framing legislative debates on medications (like puberty blockers and hormones) as support for ‘child surgeries,’ these campaigns engaged in a deliberate distortion of medical facts to incite voter fear.
The controversy surrounding the ‘Epstein Files’ provided further ground for coordinated manipulation. Ads in Alaska, Kansas, and Maine claimed Republican Senators Dan Sullivan, Roger Marshall, and Susan Collins voted to cover up the files. Official records show that in September 2025, the Senate passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act by unanimous consent, which specifically required the DOJ to release all files related to the investigation. Additionally, both sides of the aisle attempted to link opponents to Epstein through political donations, but our investigation found many of these associates were never charged with crimes and had only tangential associations to the case.
Finally, regarding the ‘One Big Bill Act’ (OBBA), we found widespread instances of misleading claims. While Democratic ads claimed Republicans were ‘gutting Medicare,’ the actual changes to the program were narrow and affected few beneficiaries. Conversely, while Republican ads claimed Democrats were against tax cuts on tips and overtime, the reality was many Democrats voted against the bill because they believed the tax cuts were skewed toward the wealthy and cut funding for Medicaid and food benefits. This highlights a pattern where both parties used ‘half-truths’ about legislative text to create a false narrative of their opposition’s motives.
The Verdict
The investigation concludes that the 2026 midterm cycle was defined by a high volume of misleading content. While some instances involved the unintentional use of outdated quotes or narrow context (MISINFORMATION), the large-scale campaigns regarding gender-affirming care and the ‘Epstein Files’ represent a coordinated effort of DISINFORMATION. These campaigns frequently misrepresented legislative votes and medical timelines to create a sense of extreme crisis among voters.
Based on verified legislative records, Senate votes, and expert medical testimony, the claims that Democrats support ‘child surgeries’ or that Republican senators blocked the release of Epstein files are FALSE and MISLEADING. The evidence shows that political actors frequently twisted the text of complex bills to obscure the actual nature of the policy negotiations taking place.
em>Counter-misinformation & disinformation investigation conducted by PolicyWire Editorial Desk (PW).