When he walks into a news conference, you know immediately. He's got a giant presence, an entourage and a public relations team with a press release waiting.

She's a little quieter when she attends an event, mixing in more, sidling up to people in small groups to chat.

And that's where the differences between Gov. Bill Richardson and Lt. Gov. Diane Denish start.

As Denish prepares to become governor later this year, some say she might have better luck negotiating with lawmakers. Others predict she'll cut spending on jobs that are seen as political patronage.

No matter what Denish does, though, she'll do it her own way.

"My history has been more of trying to bring people to the table and trying to hammer out differences. ... l feel strongly that you need to make changes and make decisions when the time is right, but you have to give people a chance to come to some agreement, too," she said in a recent interview. "Politics is still the art of compromise."

Richardson, by comparison, has been accused at times of bullying to get his way, an allegation he has downplayed while defending his desire to aggressively change the state.

"She, I think, is going to be more of a collaborator," said Fred Harris, the former U.S. senator from Oklahoma.

"Governor Richardson has been very effective with his style, but you can wear out your welcome over time," Harris said, "and I think the Legislature is looking forward to a little respite."

Rep. Lucky Varela, D-Santa Fe, agreed the two politicians have distinct approaches to governing. "She doesn't want to walk in and appear to be the center of attention," Varela, who has expressed interest in the lieutenant governor's job, said in a recent interview. "She mingles with people and is low key, ... but she's effective, she makes contact all over the state, and from my understanding, she's visited all parts of the state."

Style differences, however, don't necessarily amount to big policy differences between the two administrations — although Denish already is looking to make changes.

She's studying the so-called exempt positions, state employees who serve at the pleasure of the governor. Richardson had significantly expanded their ranks after taking office.

"We're starting to look on a case-by-case basis," she said. "We're going to review the numbers of exempts, individually, and the salaries and the increases, when they happened. So we've started putting that information together, and we'll be looking at that on a detailed basis."

Denish has asked all exempt employees to send her office information about their career goals, including their résumés.

It remains to be seen which Richardson Cabinet appointees Denish will keep, and there's no word yet on how big Denish's security detail will be. She's not sure what kind of state car she'll have, but she's hoping for a hybrid.

While the two politicians are different, they adhere to many of the same principles, Denish said.

"I think that we both come from strong Democratic values," Denish said. "We believe in the capitalist system and the survival of the business community. At the same time, we want to make sure government serves its purpose, which is not necessarily to be bigger or smaller, but to be well-run and to provide for those people who can't help themselves and use the taxpayer dollar in the best possible way."

Contact Kate Nash at 986-3036 or knash@sfnewmexican.com. Read her blog at www.greenchilechatter.com.