COEUR d’ALENE — As Natalie Hughes began singing the national anthem at Saturday’s Lincoln Day Dinner, she sang alone.

But before she finished the first verse, it seemed all 650 people in the ballroom of The Coeur d’Alene Resort had joined her.

That showing of patriotism and love of country was on display at the annual event put on by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee.

“Tonight, we’re here for our committee to bring common sense to government. I know. It’s hopeless. But I’ll explain,” said Brent Regan, KCRCC chairman.

He spoke of principles like honesty, integrity, reliability, compassion, faith and grit.

“Republicans believe when those common sense principles are the basis for public policy, our society prospers,” he said.

Regan said those holding elected offices, "have the ability to change your life,” including when it comes to property taxes.

That’s why the committee's mission is to identify, recruit, train, promote and help elect to public office “citizens with common sense. Citizens like you,” he said to the crowd.

There was extensive security for the three-hour gathering that featured several speakers. Wall signs read, “Trump 2024,” “Trump Country” and “Keep Idaho Red.”

Firearms were the prizes in drawings; a dinner for 10 with Idaho Congressman Russ Fulcher went for $4,500 in a live auction.

At one point, during a video tribute to the late Rush Limbaugh, accompanied by Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A.," nearly everyone stood.

Kootenai County’s Ruthie Johnson received the party’s Protector of Freedom Award.

There were plenty of light moments too, with some jokes and laughs about counting ballots, but it was mostly a serious affair. It was filled with warnings about federal government overreach, changing demographics, and influencing of the country’s culture toward a liberal agenda.

Tom Luna, chair of the Idaho Republican Party, said the Idaho Democratic Party has more money than the GOP, has more people on its payroll and is opening offices in North Idaho and eastern Idaho.

Why, he asked, would they do this in a red state? Four reasons. He cited Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada.

“It wasn’t that many years ago those were solid red states,” he said.

Democrats, Luna said, changed that by focusing on new arrivals to those states, “slowly but surely convincing them the Republican Party in that state was not in their best interests.”

Idaho has liberal states all around, Luna said.

“Recognize that the real threat is the liberal agenda of the Democrats and Idaho is on their list,” he said.

Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin warned against dependency on the federal government and pointed to the COVID-19 relief bill, which she said contained “progressive Democratic initiatives.”

Idaho’s share of federal relief funding as part of the economic stimulus package will reach more than $2.8 billion.

McGeachin said “a better solution” would be to take some of the state’s $600 million excess in its budget and use it for COVID relief “and do it the Idaho way.”

She brought up critical race theory, defined by Britannica as “the view that the law and legal institutions are inherently racist and that race itself, instead of being biologically grounded and natural, is a socially constructed concept that is used by white people to further their economic and political interests at the expense of people of colour.”

“Critical race theory and social justice agenda is being taught in our institutions of higher learning,” she said. “Students learn about ethics and diversity according to Harry Potter and the Lion King. I’m not kidding you. I have read the description of the course.”

She also referred to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who said it will not be taught in the state’s public school. He said, “Teaching our kids to hate this country and to hate each other is not worth one red cent of taxpayer money.”

But McGeachin said she is encouraged by a rising level of citizen engagement and activism.

“Thank you Kootenai County so much for all you are doing and continue that fight for liberty,” she said.

Congressman Fulcher told the crowd to “Keep in mind the Democrats of today are not the Democrats of your parents and grandparents. These are socialist progressives.”

He said they oppose free speech “because that empowers citizens."

Fulcher said there is hope and referred to the administrations of presidents Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump.

“Those administrations demonstrate the unleashed power of the American economic engine when the right leadership is in place. The tools are there when guided property,” he said.

Keynote speaker Michelle Malkin, a conservative blogger, author and political commentator, gave a passionate, humorous, even ominous 30-minute speech about threats to the Republican Party, the country, its culture, and what it will take to achieve victory.

Early on, she referred to a Bible verse, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9: “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.”

“We have to have yes, an attitude of gratitude, but an attitude of defiance," she said.

She said unchecked immigration will change demographics in the country, states and neighborhoods. If it’s not stopped, “it’s game over.”

It’s about “sovereignty of our nation’s control over our borders, control over who gets in. If you don’t protect your neighborhoods, every aspect of your civic life, your every day life, is affected.”

Malkin, the daughter of Filipino immigrants, said she has been accused of “acting white.”

“If you’re going to keep Idaho red, and if you’re going to keep America red, it’s up to you," she said. "You don’t need permission from nonwhite people to speak up for you. Stop that.”

“It’s OK to be white,” she said, to which someone in the crowd said, “Yes, it is.”

She said young people who think for themselves and believe in America are being turned into “public enemy number one. They face persecution. They face adversity.”

Malkin said she is motivated to do what she does because of the sacrifices her parents made, and her sacrifices for her children, so they can have freedom, choice and the ability to pursue prosperity.

She urged the crowd to “Stay faithful. Stay true to the principles your parents and grandparents conveyed to you.”

She said supporting liberty, being proud of America and having conservative values, doesn’t make people intolerant and xenophobic.

“It makes us patriots,” she said.

Her closing statement, which received a standing ovation, was: “One nation, under God, no hyphen, no apology. And the only time that we should be on our knees is when we’re praying to God. Otherwise stand up, speak out and defend our homeland."