Journalist or Jester? Horton W. Swansworth Melts Down Over Polls

The trolls will not stop. From Will Perez, a special report:

In what’s being described as one of the most bizarre online outbursts of the election season, self-proclaimed journalist Horton W. Swansworth ignited a mini-scandal this week after a series of late-night posts attacking the credibility of a polling organization — and, apparently, the concept of polling itself.

Swansworth, who repeatedly reminded readers that he is “a journalist,” took aim at Green Strategy Polling, declaring, “A real polling website doesn’t have an entire menu on their site calling out some random lady for suspecting that they’re trolls lmfao get out of here dude.”

Observers noted the curious mix of righteous fury and meme-like energy. Within minutes, Swansworth doubled down, accusing the pollsters of being a “garage operation,” writing: “Are you literally just running your own polls out of your garage and passing them off as newsworthy lmao?”

He didn’t stop there. In an apparent attempt to defend his honor (or perhaps to escalate the chaos), Swansworth taunted critics: “I would literally pay you to write a tabloid piece about me.”
Consider this request granted.

The meltdown came after Green Strategy Polling released new numbers showing a tight race — a 1% gap, which Swansworth called “wildly contradictory” to every other poll of the season. “I’ll literally bet you $100 Mamdani wins,” he added, prompting social media users to ask whether Swansworth was wagering his credibility as well.

Political analysts were quick to point out the irony: a man claiming to be a journalist questioning the legitimacy of data — while demanding attention for doing so. “This is less about polls and more about ego,” said one observer. “It’s giving ‘main character syndrome’ with a side of caffeine.”

As the dust settles, Swansworth’s online tirade has sparked an entirely new debate: is outrage the new journalism?
If so, Horton W. Swansworth may have just taken the lead.