Those numbers do not reflect Santorum’s current fundraising, since the last fundraising reports were due before Santorum won the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses. Santorum’s campaign said he raised $2 million following the Iowa caucuses. Santorum told CNN that he raised $250,000 last night, after his wins in Colorado, Missouri, and Minnesota.
But the early numbers shed light on Santorum’s key early supporters. Romney’s super PAC money came mostly from the financial industry, President Obama’s money came from Hollywood and labor, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was funded by casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. Santorum’s super PAC is funded almost entirely by two men: Foster Friess and John Templeton.
Friess, an investor from Jackson, Wyo., gave $331,000. Friess runs an organization that promotes conservative causes including supporting school choice, questioning climate change research, and promoting border security. He became wealthy after launching a successful mutual fund in the 1970s. On his website, where he is pictured wearing a cowboy hat and refers to himself as “the man atop the horse,” he describes himself as a born-again Christian whose philanthropy stems from his Christian values. He says he has tried to promote values of personal responsibility over government dependence.
Friess is a major donor to conservative causes and politicians. He gave $50,000 this election cycle to a PAC supporting traditional family values, including opposition to abortion and gay marriage. He has donated to Santorum for over a decade. He and his family gave over $1 million to causes related to Tea Party supporters and industrialists Charles and David Koch, according to Mother Jones magazine.
Templeton, a retired surgeon, is president and chairman of the John Templeton Foundation, which was founded by his father. The foundation most frequently funds projects relating to the intersection of science and religion. A profile of the foundation in The Nation said projects included research on free will and forgiveness. The Nation described Templeton as “a conservative evangelical who spends his personal time and money opposing gay marriage and defending the Iraq War.”
