Cantor allies buying October airtime

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A nonprofit group allied with House Majority leader Eric Cantor is locking down airtime in Phoenix, Denver and Boston for two weeks in October, according to ad disclosure documents.

The YG Network–“YG” stands for Young Guns–will spend an estimated $400,000 to run broadcast TV ads in the Phoenix market during the weeks of Oct. 7 and 14. Totals for the Boston and Denver campaigns for the same time frame weren’t immediately available. Stations often ignore disclosure rules, so it’s unclear if other markets are being included in the campaign.

In Boston, the ads will support Republican Richard Tisei, a candidate for Massachusetts’ 6th congressional district, according to a filing by Boston area CBS-affiliate WBZ. Tisei lost a tight race in 2012 for the same seat.

FCC rules require stations to disclose the names of the candidates targeted by political ads, but these are omitted from Phoenix area stations KPXV, KPHO and KPNX. The Rothenberg Political Report lists two nearby House races as competitive: the first district, held by Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick, and the second (formerly Gabby Giffords’ seat) now occupied by Democrat Ron Barber. The National Republican Congressional Committee listed Martha McSally, the Republican candidate opposing Barber as a “Young Gun” in May.

In Denver, Rep. Mike Coffman is in one of the years’ most expensive house races, though it’s unclear if he’s the target. KDVR, a FOX-affiiliate expected to make about $34,000 for airing the Denver ads, simply omitted that information. The station didn’t return a call for comment.

John Murray, a former aide to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., founded the YG Network and its affiliated super PAC, the YG Action Fund.

The ads were bought by the Red Eagle Media Group. A tax form attached to one of the Boston documents says that’s just a trade name for Virginia-based National Media Research, Planning and Placement.