The Hill News

The top funder for the pro-Rick Santorum super PAC predicted the former Pennsylvania senator will be near or in the lead in the Republican presidential primary "very soon."

"I believe Rick Santorum will become one of the frontrunners very soon," Foster Friess, a major donor to the Red, White, and Blue Fund said in an interview with Bloomberg Television.

{mosads}Friess's optimistic comments come just ahead of the Florida Republican primary, in which Santorum has been polling in last place. After his campaign previously suggested that he might stop campaigning in the state early, Santorum announced that he would stay in the state up until the day before the Tuesday, Jan. 31 primary. Santorum's campaign has said it wouldn't drop out after one or even a few primaries where the former Pennsylvania senator doesn't perform well.

Friess said he would be willing to fund any candidate in the field going up against Obama, but he prefers Santorum be! cause he's known him for more than a decade and a half "on a personal basis."

"I have an open checkbook," Santorum said. "I know both Mitt and Newt personally. I have huge admiration for both of them. Sometimes I sit back in my armchair and say it would be neat if we could have Santorum as president and put Mitt Romney in charge of the entire economy."

Friess hasn't given much to Red, White and Blue Fund during the Florida primary but he told The Wall Street Journal earlier this week that he planned to continue donating money to help Santorum in the future. According to the Journal, Friess and his family have donated over $700,000 to Santorum's various political campaigns over the years.

"I'm committed to Rick Santorum, and I'm going to be giving ! more to Rick Santorum," Friess told the Journal.