The race to lead the Democratic National Committee is heating up, with two Midwestern candidates making big claims about their support. But here’s the catch: no one can actually verify these numbers.

Ben Wikler, the chair of Wisconsin’s Democratic Party, is trying to prove he’s got the momentum to beat Ken Martin, the Minnesota Democrats’ chairman, who’s currently seen as the frontrunner. Wikler recently announced endorsements from eight governors, two congressmen, a liberal business group, and four major labor unions. Sounds impressive, right? But when it comes to the people who really matter—the 448 members of the Democratic National Committee—Wikler only has 29 public endorsements. That’s a far cry from Martin’s 140.

Meanwhile, former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley is also in the mix, with 12 public endorsements. All three candidates are claiming they’ve got even more private supporters, but none of these claims can be checked. Martin says he has 200 D.N.C. members backing him, Wikler claims 151, and O’Malley’s camp says he’s got 137.

The problem? There are only 448 D.N.C. members total. So, the math doesn’t quite add up.

With the vote set for February 1, the candidates are pulling out all the stops to show they’ve got the edge. But until the ballots are cast, it’s anyone’s guess who will come out on top.

What’s clear is that this race is as much about perception as it is about actual support. And in politics, sometimes perception is everything.