Two rich conservatives’ donations help to keep Rick Santorum competitive

By Shira Schoenberg, Globe Correspondent

With former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum scoring victories in all three non-binding nominating contests on Tuesday, the next question will be whether the candidate can boost his fundraising to match the organizations of his rivals.

As of the end of 2011, Santorum was far behind his Republican rivals in the money chase. His campaign raised just $2.2 million in 2011. The pro-Santorum super PAC, the Red, White, and Blue Fund, raised just $764,000.

In contrast, his GOP rival Mitt Romney raised $56.1 million and a pro-Romney super PAC raised $30.1 million.

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.”

Templeton gave $250,000 to the pro-Santorum super PAC. He also gave $200,000 to Raising Red, a fund started by a former College Republican National Committee president and New York City Tea Party co-founder with the mission of attracting young people to defeating Obama. He is a long-time donor to Republican political groups and candidates.

Santorum is a socially conservative Catholic, who has had strong appeal among evangelicals.

Other top donors include Steven Mihaylo, chairman of a web technology company in Reno, Nev., and former CEO of a telephone and software company. Mihaylo gave $25,000 to the pro-Santorum super PAC, and another $25,000 to American Crossroads, the super PAC started by George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove. He was a major donor to 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain.

Charles Parlato, a developer at C&C Shorelands in Mamaroneck, N.Y., also gave $25,000. Parlato has contributed to a pro-family values super PAC, and has donated to numerous conservative politicians, including Sean Bielat, the 2010 Republican congressional candidate who unsuccessfully challenged Democratic US Representative Barney Frank in Massachusetts. He donated to McCain and Romney in 2008.

The company whose employees gave the most money to Santorum’s campaign - $19,500 – was the hospital chain Universal Health Services, according to the Center for Responsive Politics’ OpenSecrets blog. Santorum was a director of the organization, which Bloomberg reported was sued by the federal government in 2010 over allegations of Medicare fraud.

Employees of the health insurance company Blue Cross/Blue Shield, which is based in South Carolina, donated another $18,000. The South Carolina newspaper The State reported that top Blue Cross/Blue Shield executives were helping Santorum fund-raise and reach out to the business community.

Employees of Achristavest, a waterfront development company in Chester, Penn., gave another $14,000. Santorum’s finance chairman, Euse Mita, is chairman of Achristavest.