Top pro-Santorum super-PAC donor spends directly on behalf of Santorum

The top donor to a pro-Rick Santorum super-PAC spent nearly $9,000 to directly help the presidental hopeful's campaign.

Foster Freiss, the major donor behind the Red, White and Blue Fund, spent $8,675 in advertising to help Santorum, according to iWatch News. Freiss's donations went toward a radio ad and newspaper advertisement in Rice Lake, Wis., just ahead of the state's April 3 primary.

Friess has donated more than $1.5 million to the pro-Santorum super-PAC, and also gave $50,000 to the Leaders Families super-PAC, which also supports Santorum. Friess is one of a small number of donors comprising the bulk of contributions to the super-PAC. William Doré, who has kept a much lower profile than Friess, has also donated $1 million. 

Donors to super-PACs usually stay away from the political spotlight, but Friess gained national attention for a comment he made while defending Santorum's position against the Obama administration's contraception mandate, which requires certain religious organizations to include birth control in employee insurance plans. 

"This contraceptive thing, my gosh it's so inexpensive. You know back in my days, they used Bayer aspirin for contraception," Friess said in February on MSNBC. "The gals put it between their knees, and it wasn't that costly."

The comment, a reference to abstinence, garnered strong criticism.

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