Skip to main content

Representatives switch parties

Image
News Date
Body

Last week state Representative Mariellen MacKay of Nashua switched her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican.

MacKay is not the first representative to switch parties this session. In February, Rep. Robert Theberge also changed parties from Democrat to Republican. The same month, Rep. Caleb Dyer from Hudson switched his party affiliation from Republican to Libertarian. 

Currently, there is no state law that bans a representative from changing their political party while in office, and the issue is not addressed in either the House or Senate rules.

Given the size of New Hampshire’s House of Representatives – 400 seats – the party affiliation of three members does not make a big difference. Those large numbers also ensure that the parties do not have very much control over how their members vote.

However, it is still rare for representatives to switch parties while in office. According to Ballotpedia, no other New Hampshire representatives have changed party in the past decade. 

There is one other legislator in Concord who notably changed parties, however the switch took place during an election cycle. After serving two years as a Republican in the House of Representatives, in 1998 Lou D’Allesandro ran as a Democrat for the state senate. He won that election and serves as a Democratic senator to this day.

Those in favor of prohibiting politicians from changing parties while in office argue that voters choose candidates based on their position on the issues--of which party affiliation is a key indicator. This makes changing parties after being elected effectively a betrayal of voters. They maintain that lawmakers who wish to change their party should do so during an election cycle, when voters have a chance to weigh in. 

Opponents counter that a ban on changing parties would be ultimately ineffective, as there is no requirement that legislators vote in line with their party. Therefore a legislator who feels more aligned with those on the other side of the bench might as well be able to switch his or her affiliation. Others maintain that party affiliation is a matter of personal liberty and should never be restricted for anyone - elected official or otherwise. 

What would you think if one of your representatives changed parties? Should NH ban legislators from changing political parties while in office? Share your thoughts in comments below.

Image depicts Rep. Caleb Dyer, left, and Rep. Mariellen MacKay, right.

Comments

Login or register to post comments

Thank you to our sponsors and donors