COEUR d'ALENE - Former U.S. Congressman and presidential candidate Duncan Hunter, the keynote speaker at Saturday's Lincoln Day Dinner at The Coeur d'Alene Resort, said he believes in God - a God that has got a pretty good sense of humor.

So when Republicans gained the U.S. Senate seat held for nearly 50 years by Democrat Edward "Ted" Kennedy, of Massachusetts, Hunter wasn't really surprised, he told the audience with laugh.

"The most liberal state in the union," Hunter said.

It's not the place he thought he'd see the GOP start its comeback - a seat long seen as completely out of reach - with minorities in both the Senate and House.

Now that Republicans have taken control of that seat, with Scott Brown's victory, it gives the party plenty of momentum going into the November election.

Hunter campaigned unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for president in 2008 and served 14 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1981 to 2009. Duncan, 61, represented California districts 45 and 52 (the San Diego area), and served as chairman of the Committee on Armed Services from 2003 to 2007. He was in the U.S. Army Airborne in the late 1960s and early 1970s before becoming an attorney in private practice.

"He's a great patriot," said Idaho Gov. Butch Otter, who introduced Hunter.

Hunter touted the Republican Party's strength on national defense, the success of the Iraq war, and said that is an important part of the party's identity.

He also said China is getting stronger militarily, and doing so in part because of economic advantages it has over the U.S., in particular on trade. The U.S. is losing in trade, and that is becoming a threat to national security.

"We need to endorse the idea of a mirror trade policy," Hunter said.

The U.S. needs to extend the fence along its border with Mexico, and stop illegal immigration, he said.

"Knock on the front door if you want to come into (the U.S.)," he said. "The days of you coming in the back door, or crawling through the window are over."

U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo also spoke during the dinner.

"It's nice to get back to Idaho here and breath in some common sense," Crapo said, expressing frustration with the direction of Congress.

He said Congress has not been doing the things that will improve the economy.

"You cannot spend yourself into prosperity," he said.

The speakers also included Allen Salzberg, Vaughn Ward, and Idaho Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Eagle, all of whom are running for Idaho Congressman Walk Minnick's seat.