push poll

American  

noun

1. a seemingly unbiased telephone survey that is actually conducted by supporters of a particular candidate and disseminates negative information about an opponent.

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Etymology

Origin of push poll

1990–95

Example Sentences

Then last week, residents began receiving a push poll gauging voter support for “a major new project” that would include “a new city with tens of thousands of new homes.”

From Seattle Times

The state-court judge in that case, Ruben Reyes, found that Brewer’s firm hired pollsters to conduct a “push poll” that provided misleading information to people involved in the case, possibly tainting the trial.

From Washington Post

Bush denied any knowledge of the push poll and claimed that anyone determined to be involved with it would be kicked off his campaign.

From Fox News

“I think lawmakers would value genuine feedback from voters, but not through a push poll.”

From Washington Times

In September 2018, a federal judge in Virginia kicked Brewer off an N.R.A. case there, berating him for failing to disclose that he had been sanctioned in 2016 for conducting what was seen as a push poll of potential jurors in a Texas product-liability case.

From New York Times