News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Michigan Republican Chairwoman Kristina Karamo addresses members of the Alpena County Republican Party at the Alpena County Library on Thursday.

ALPENA — Newly elected Michigan Republican Party Chairwoman Kristina Karamo met with the Alpena County Republican Party on Thursday and was already trying to fire up the base for the elections next year.

Since 2018, election results in Michigan and around the country have not been on par with the expectations of the Republican Party. Karamo said she is working hard to unify the party in the state, which is severely divided between former President Donald Trump’s supporters and those who believe the party needs a new direction.

Unifying conservatives, Karamo said, should lead to more success at the polls.

She said it is good for people to fight for their candidate until primary elections wrap up, but then party members need to come together to vote for the winning candidate on the Republican ticket.

“Our goal is to advocate for conservative principles and push back against Democrats’ agenda while they have control of the state Legislature,” she said. “At the end of the day, we’ll realize we have a common goal and not fight with each other and be at each other’s necks. We’ll fight the good fight for our candidates and rally together from one at the end.”

Linda Ayres, chairwoman of the Alpena County Democratic Party, declined to comment for this story.

Karamo, who ran for secretary of state in 2022, voiced her concerns about the 2020 presidential election being rigged against Trump in Michigan and other states. She lost to Democrat Jocelyn Benson.

In order for conservative candidates to become more appealing to more independent voters and win more seats this time around, Karamo said, the party needs to continue to share its message about the economy, rising costs, gun control, and election security.

She said it’s important to make sure Michigan and the United States remain independent from the ambitions of other countries, such as China, which she claims is trying to gain control of U.S. business interests and workforce.

“We are fighting for America’s sovereignty,” she said. “When you look at what is going on with the battery factory in Mecosta County, it’s a massive concern. This company, in its founding documents of corporation, swears allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party. Those things should terrify all of us.”

Gotion Inc., a Chinese battery manufacturer, is in line for almost $1.1 billion in state investment for the construction of a battery plant in Big Rapids. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the state’s investment will lead to 2,300 new jobs and employees would receive, on average, $45,000 a year.

The U.S.-based subsidiary building the plant denies any allegiance to the Chinese government.

In order to retake the state House and state Senate, which the Republicans lost in 2022, and get another conservative governor elected, the party has work to do, Karamo said.

She said defending the Second Amendment, helping grow small businesses, and working to lower costs for people are just some of the items on the party’s agenda heading into election season.

“Gun rights are huge, the economy is huge, and election security is huge,” she said. “If you don’t have secure elections, you don’t have a country. We want to show Michiganders we have their best interests at heart and we are real people who love our state, and, with effective messaging and community engagement, we will win.”