MRC Free Speech America, a media watchdog group, has claimed that Google’s search results are biased towards Democrats when it comes to the 2024 presidential candidates. The allegation was based on an analysis of Google search results for three terms related to the upcoming elections – “presidential campaign websites,” “Republican presidential campaign websites,” and “Democrat presidential campaign websites.”
The study found that the search results were heavily skewed in favor of Democrats with no notable Republican figures appearing on the first page of search results. Notably missing from the first-page results were key Republican candidates including former President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
In contrast, when MRC searched for “Democrat presidential campaign websites,” Joe Biden’s website appeared as the first result. However, the website of President Biden’s strongest Democrat challenger, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., did not appear on the first page. Similarly, the third search for “presidential campaign websites” without mentioning any party also showed President Biden and other Democratic candidates but no Republicans on the first page.
The findings have sparked outrage among conservatives. MRC Free Speech America Vice President Dan Schneider called the results “outrageous,” suggesting that Google is either “the most incompetent search engine on the planet, or it’s intentional.” MRC also urged its supporters to contact Google and demand transparency and equal footing for conservatives.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) also criticized the allegedly biased Google search results, calling it “blatant election interference.” In addition, an analysis by MRC highlighted the biased media coverage against GOP front-runner Donald Trump and other GOP candidates.
Robert Epstein, a psychologist and researcher, warned about Google’s potential to manipulate elections during a hearing of the Arizona House Committee on Oversight, Accountability, and Big Tech. He suggested that Google’s influence could potentially sway elections according to its interests. However, Google dismissed Mr. Epstein’s accusations as “deeply misleading claims.”
