Santorum’s Billionaire Supports Liljenquist

From: Utah Pulse

By: Bryan Schott

The billionaire who is supporting Rick Santorum’s bid for the White House might throw his support behind Dan Liljenquist’s effort to unseat Orrin Hatch.

The New Republic reports that Foster Freiss, who is taking some fire for suggesting that an effective form of birth control would be a woman “holding an aspirin between her legs,” may possibly throw his super PAC’s support behind Liljenquist.

Now Friess is hoping to have an even bigger impact on several crucial races in the fall. He told me he plans “for sure” to give to eight or ten key Senate races. His favored candidates include Denny Rehberg, who is currently locked in a virtual tie with Montana’s vulnerable Democratic senator, Jon Tester; Josh Mandel, who is challenging liberal Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown; and Dan Liljenquist, a far-right primary challenger to Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah. In all three races, a large cash infusion could make a big difference.

Holly Richardson, campaign manager for Liljenquist’s Senate bid tells Utah Policy that Friess has endorsed Liljenquist, but he has not indicated he would make an independent expenditure on behalf of their campaign.

“Foster supports Dan, and we’re looking at hosting a fundraiser with him sometime soon,” says Richardson.

UtahPolicy reported yesterday that Freedom Path, the super PAC supporting Orrin Hatch’s re-election bid has spent $280,000 on a media buy in Utah. That kind of spend would certainly help Lilenquist, but Richardson says they aren’t counting on it.

“We aren’t going to match Hatch’s money dollar-for-dollar, but we are doing well in our fundraising.”

When pressed on how their fundraising efforts are proceeding, Richardson says they’re well into the “six-figure range.” Asked to elaborate, she estimated they were in the “mid-six figures.”