Anstine joined the
Pennsylvania Republican Party's state committee in 1963. During the mid to late 1970s, she worked on the first campaign for the
United States Senate of fellow Republican
John Heinz. In 1978, she also served as the recruitment chair of the Pennsylvania Council of Republican Women. During the 1980s, she served as special assistant to the Speaker of the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives,
H. Jack Seltzer, and was elected to the post of vice president of the Pennsylvania Republican Party. In 1990, she became the chair of the Pennsylvania Republican Party, a position she held until 1996, when she resigned for health reasons. She was subsequently chosen as one of two delegates from Pennsylvania to serve on the
Republican National Committee. During the 1994 gubernatorial primary season, she was credited with maintaining broad Republican Party support for
Tom Ridge. ==Later years==