frontrunner who hasn t spent a dime on television ad vvertisin superpacs are a disaster, a scam, they cause dishonesty and you better get rid of them. they are causing bad decisions to get made by very good people. i am not blaming these folks. reporter: some say big check writers are driven by a mix of business and ego. they are giving to people they think will support what they want and people that they know will answer their phone calls if they win and give them access and listen have he carefully to what they want on a public agenda. reporter: those gop, presidential political ads you see on tv, more than 80% so far have been paid for by superpacs, according to a recent report. how successful they are still is an open question with many candidates supported by superpacs doing poorly in the polls. with the first contest just over a month away, now is the time that money could be a
increasingly giving to so-called superpacs, which can take unlimited amounts of money. it is ra rare for superpacs and donors to speak about their relationships and what that money brings them. we talk today a top gop moneyman who has given millions to politicians and the presidential candidate. hi, i m foster freezen. he has written his biggest checks to support rick santorum. in 2012, he threw him a life line when he gave the superpac supporting him more than $2 million. i think he is a champion of the little guy, very presidential. reporter: in his heyday, friese was making $10 million a month and explains why he donates. i get a sense of satisfaction that i am continuing the process that created my success. reporter: he prefers to give
to superpacs which can take as much as he is willing to give. when the superpac came along, i realized i could just write a check tanned is a lot more effortless and that seems to work. santorum doesn t believe he is trying to buy influence. if he was in it for access, he wouldn t be supporting a guy tho is 1% in the polls. reporter: they say passionate donors by friess are outgunned by those seeking influence. there are a lot more giving because they believe in something, they far outnumber the people that give for access. the people that give for access give much larger dollars. according to a nonpartisan watchdog, so far, superpacs have raised $315 million and spent almost $100 million. much of it, on ads. those ads still leave republican candidates far behind the
honest truth even from the senate floor and even if it is unpopular. you talk about how they can eliminate candidates. this actually focuses on something that s polarizing about him. standing up to leaders also led to a government shutdown last year. how much at risk do people put themselves, candidates put themselves when they are involved with these superpacs? well, look. ted cruz is working with superpacs. he needs to. he is running against now head to head against a billionaire like donald trump who has unlimited money. he has to use the superpacs. i think what s interesting about the cruz campaign, is that it has been very shrewd of not trying to go after donald trump and stay in the number two spot with an aim at iowa and the evan gel gel cal vote. if he wins iowa, ted cruz, and these ads are going to help him do that, he suddenly becomes the