American Action Network's Ads Pulled From Stations
Updated, 8:22 p.m.
The American Action Network, one of the biggest conservative third party groups, has seen some of its new House ads pulled by local television stations for factual inaccuracies.
In two districts -- one in Connecticut and another in Colorado -- local stations have pulled AAN ads. The group is spending millions on airing ads in competitive races, and any respite is welcome in Democratic camps.
AAN is a conservative 501(c)4 group that does not have to disclose its donors. It is currently led by former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) and GOP fundraiser Fred Malek.
The decisions by the stations also call into question the validity of the other ads AAN is airing. The group planned to run ads in 22 districts over the last two weeks of the campaign.
On Tuesday, the group's ad targeting Rep. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) was pulled by FoxCT -- the local FOX affiliate -- because it contained claims that the group could not substantiate.
"Following a review of the spot titled 'Mess' and the documentation provided by the American Action Network, WTIC-TV, the FOX affiliate in Hartford, Connecticut, believes the commercial's claims are unsubstantiated and has removed it from air,'' FOX CT spokeswoman Andrea Savastra told the Hartford Courant.
The station's decision may be particularly important for Murphy, who appears to be more vulnerable that most observers believed at the beginning of the cycle. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee went up with an ad in Murphy's 5th District for the first time on Tuesday, attacking state Sen. Sam Caligiuri (R).
In Colorado, 9News, the local NBC affiliate, also pulled AAN's ad targeting Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D) in Colorado's 7th District. The Perlmutter campaign confirmed on Tuesday that KUSA Channel 9, the local NBC affiliate, is pulling the spot after giving it a scathing fact check on Monday.
Update, 8:22 p.m.: Jim Landry, a spokesman for AAN, sent over the following statement:
"This is all Democrat hyperventilation. Out of respect to a station's wishes, we changed four words to the Connecticut ad. The ad in Colorado ran throughout the weekend on multiple stations and is scheduled to conclude on Wednesday. Although only one station took issue with the content of the ad, they still ran it all weekend."
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