So how will Hatch spend all that cash?

When you have a lot of money, like U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch does in his war chest, you have lots of friends who could use some of it.

But even though Hatch, R-Utah, ends his 2006 re-election with more than $2.5 million in the bank, he's not just going to give the cash away.

"We are going to help the (Utah Republican) party with some money — but we're going to help them fund raise, not just give it to them," said Dave Hansen, Hatch's campaign manager.

"Money is money," state GOP Executive Director Jeff Hartley said. "We'll take it any way we can."

The state GOP ends the 2006 election cycle about $180,000 in debt, Hartley said. That's more than normal, but there are good reasons for the debt, and Hartley says the state party has a plan to retire all of it by the end of January.

Utah Democrats, on the other hand, end 2006 with about a $26,000 surplus, said Todd Taylor, executive director of the Utah Democratic Party.

The GOP will raise the funds under a new, acting chairwoman. Vice chairwoman Enid Greene, a former U.S. congresswoman, took over for former party Chairman Joe Cannon last month when Cannon resigned to "lower my political profile." Cannon was named the new editor of the Deseret Morning News on Friday and will take over that post from current Editor and Chief Operating Officer John Hughes Jan. 1.

Meanwhile, Hatch will go forward with periodic fund raising even though he has, for him, a record amount of cash on hand. He still wants to retire all of a $100,000 loan his campaign account made to his failed 2000 presidential campaign.

And he'll raise some money for the Utah Republican Party, as well.

"We all know the senator has a great ability to raise funds," Hartley said.

Hatch can also spend some of his funds in interesting ways. For example, employing the children of various personal friends through his campaign this year.

Jim Bennett, son of U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, ran Hatch's Web site through the younger Bennett's firm, the Bennett Group.

Children of Khosrow Semnani, former owner of Envirocare, and Doug Foxley, a Utah lobbyist, also worked for Hatch's campaign, the senator's Federal Election Commission filings show.

Hatch also paid state Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, $1,500 (to help pay for the rural "Red Bus" tour of southern Utah).

And he had to refund contributions from some well-known Utahns who donated in excess of FEC rules, including banker Spence Eccles ($3,800), and the son of Steve Creamer ($800), head of EnergySolutions, formerly Envirocare.