RINOs are often the topic of much chatter in circles among the Grok readership, and here we are, just a few weeks after an election. On 9/29/21, future Rep Kelley Potenza called the Damn Emperor a “fake Republican” when Adam Sexton interviewed her at St A’s. Why do I keep referencing that sound byte? First, I happen to think it’s a very spot-on comment, especially for one that’s off the cuff. But this time, I will add that she is a ROCHESTER local, and I’m about to discuss one of her local equals, fellow Rep Aidan Ankarberg.
While being seen with the enemy camp is not a crime, and there’s been a multitude of examples all over the place and at various levels of government, I will point out that Ankarberg is often seen with that annoying Rochester alderman who keeps winning special elections and recounts. That “old white man” with white hair, known locally as Grassie, is also a Rochester rep and has another thing in common with Ankarberg. They’re both enemies of 91A and House cosponsors of HB 1002. Yeah, Orrin Hatch and Kennedy were old DC buddy pals back in the day, and there’s no shortage of examples of “two wings of the same bird” in many government bodies, but let’s talk about party changes and their timing.
Remember Dr Marsh? His RINO colors were becoming more and more on display until he made the switch official on 9/14/21 following Nurse Terese’s interruption of the outdoor dog and pony show in which our Speaker and his fellow inner circle elite House members were trying to divert public anger against vax mandates to the DC swamp. It was not an election year, and Dr Marsh went to the press to announce his switch to the enemy camp. One might surmise that he was an opportunist who took advantage of a precipitating event to milk an opportunity for attention. Remember that he became Jeb’s opponent in the following two elections.
There are a few examples of how Ankarberg strayed from the Dr Marsh playbook. One of them is that he didn’t seek the attention of the press, or at least not at the level that would receive the attention of out-of-towners. Another is that the switch was not in an odd-numbered year or on the heels of a precipitating event, but wait, what about the election itself? More on that in a moment, but let’s take a quick look at the enemy camp. Reps Tony LaBranche, Maria Perez, and Shaun Filiault became independent upon leaving the Democrat party. Their changes were during a term in progress and with much attention-seeking fanfare. Tony and Maria have also retired from the House. Can Rochester be so lucky in 2026 with Ankarberg retiring? Or will he follow the “Dr Marsh plan” and become Senator Gray’s opponent? That would be harder to do as an independent, so one prognostication is that he will become a card-carrying Dem sometime between now and June (filing time) of 2026.
When I said, “more on that in a moment,” I wanted to revisit the timing of Ankarberg’s switch from R to I, which the House clerk tweeted just 2 weeks after the election. Readers, especially ones in Rochester, should be asking why he waited until after the election. Is it because he wanted easier ballot access and did not have to do the work of gathering petition signatures? Was it to better secure the future of his seat in the very elite Election Law committee? His constituents deserve to know, and so does the rest of NH because character matters.
