GOP gubernatorial candidate Jon Huntsman Jr., who Hannity plugged during his speech, covered $10,000 of those costs.

UVSC did not have a final tally of Hannity's expenses Monday.

But any dime spent on Hannity was well spent for 83-year-old Milly Pines. "He's the voice of reason in this whole thing," she said. "I don't know why (UVSC) didn't pay him and give Michael Moore the boot before he could influence young students."

But Hannity told the Deseret Morning News he didn't come to UVSC to sway student voters but to provide an opposing point of view before the Nov. 2 general election.

"(UVSC officials) told me they are going to make a profit off this thing," Hannity said. "I don't care if it's $5, though I hope it's much, much more."

As for that debate with Moore, Hannity isn't backing down.

He said he'll come back to UVSC for free if Moore will agree to put his speaking fee on the table and let students decide who gets to donate the money to a favorite charity.

"He is a gutless coward for not showing up tonight," he said.

During a question-and-answer period, Hannity was asked by an LDS member of the audience, "When are you going to take the missionary discussions?"

"I'm going to tell you one thing," Hannity replied. "It's going to sound like it's pandering and I'm going to tell you this. This is a very special place here. There is a certain blessed innocence that I see every time I come to Utah. I'm non-denominational in the sense that I'm a Christian; I was raised Catholic. The people in my life that I have the most in common with are the people who put God and faith and country above all else." he said.

"It is noticeably different when I come to Utah in a positive way. You've held on to an innocence that I think the rest of the country, sadly, has lost. Frankly, it's refreshing to come here."

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E-mail: lwarner@desnews.com