But just nine months into his first term, Huntsman is making plans for a significantly cheaper re-election bid: A bid that may only cost him the $520.50 filing fee to run for governor.

"I am going to try to do it without raising any money," Huntsman told The Salt Lake Tribune this week. "I do think that somebody could run without having to rely on a big budget. They could do it based upon a track record and ideas."

Huntsman's proposed campaign on the cheap will appeal to Utahns sick of seeing their incumbent politicians spend millions to win re-election. But in the real world, a heated campaign could force the governor to backtrack, political insiders say.

Huntsman is a popular governor whose name is widely known and becoming more familiar all the time, said Joe Cannon, chairman of the Utah Republican Party. But a viable challenger could force the governor to spend money.

"He can get away with a pretty minimalist campaign," Cannon said. "But I doubt he can get away with a zero-dollars campaign."

The governor is inspired by the bare-bones campaign approach of former U.S. Sen. Bill Proxmire, a Wisconsin Democrat. A senator from 1957 to 1989, Proxmire was famous for spending little more than the filing fee in his campaigns. He also got built-in publicity from his "Golden Fleece" awards for wasteful government spending.

If anyone can duplicate Proxmire's frugality in Utah, political observers believe, Huntsman could try in a 2008 re-election bid.

Nolan Karras, Huntsman's 2004 Republican primary challenger, says the governor will be ahead of any opponents with well-established name recognition from his family's stature in Utah and four years in office. Karras spent nearly $1.5 million in the race leading up to last year's primary.

"If anyone can do it, the Huntsmans probably can do it," Karras said. "I didn't get beat by Jon Jr. I got beat by Jon Sr. I got beaten by a family. Most of us unknowns have to work hard to get our name known. That's what a lot of the money and time is spent on."

"I wish him well in the process. But I don't know how it will work out in reality," Karras added. "Bless his heart. If he can ratchet [campaign spending] down, it would be a great service to the state."

University of Utah political scientist Matthew Burbank questioned Huntsman's strategy but said "someone in his position might be able to get away with it."

Because of his wealth, if he changed his mind he could self-finance the race, and he is a Republican in one of the country's most conservative states.

"Democrats would not see him as someone who is a sitting duck," Burbank said.

There are practical limitations to the governor's budget campaign. He cannot use state vehicles and computers and phones and offices for strictly political purposes without reimbursing taxpayers.

Burbank calls Huntsman's attempt at a no-money campaign "a very appealing populist move," but he believes the governor made a strategic error by announcing it publicly three years before the next race.

"He obviously doesn't have a huge amount of electoral experience," Burbank said. "If your opponent does attack you, how do you respond?"

Burbank says Utah's freshman governor, however well-meaning, may be showing his inexperience.

"This is not a politician with a long track record of getting elected," Burbank said. "Even somebody like [former Gov.] Mike Leavitt, who knew the state and knew the political system just about as well as you could, would not look at this and say, 'Nah, I don't need any money.' "

Despite declaring his intent to run a campaign on fumes and good will, Huntsman will continue to hold fundraisers. He hosted a ball at the beginning of his term and provided dinner for donors before the James Taylor concert last month to pay off between $300,000 and $400,000 in debt he incurred during the 2004 race. Huntsman loaned his campaign $275,000 - an amount he pledged to pay back - and his campaign took out several bank loans totaling $350,000. Once that debt is paid, the governor said he probably will stop raising campaign funds.

"I am not looking for coffers for a campaign," Huntsman said. "I am looking to pay off debt."

As of Jan. 5, Huntsman reported a $391,600 balance in his campaign account and about $10,000 in his Special Projects Fund.

Campaigning on the cheap

No other Utah officeholder in recent history has attempted what Huntsman proposes to do - run for re-election to a major office without spending money.

U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett spent $1.8 million last year to defeat Democratic challenger Paul Van Dam, who spent $120,000.

U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch already had $1.7 million in available cash in his campaign in June - more than a year before his next election.

In 1996, former Gov. Mike Leavitt raised about $740,000 to win his second term. Four years later, after being forced into a primary, Leavitt spent about $2 million.