Lawmakers in the state House of Representatives passed a plan to redraw boundaries and legislative districts after the legislation barreled through two legislative committees Wednesday. The bill was approved in a 36-34 vote.

The sudden movement of House Bill 39 follows days of internal struggle among lawmakers to cobble together the 36 votes necessary to push the bill through the 70-member House. In the span of six hours, the plan passed the House Voters and Elections and Judiciary committees. Both votes were along party lines.

The swift movement came after Independent Andrew Nuñez of Hatch appeared to change his mind about supporting the redistricting plan.

With 36 Democrats, 33 Republicans and one Independent (Nuñez), the House had been at a stalemate all week as Nuñez and Democratic Rep. Sandra Jeff opposed all plans to redraw state House district boundaries, creating a 35-to-35 tie. That meant neither side, Democrat nor Republican, had enough votes to push any particular plan.

But Nuñez's switch gave House Speaker Ben Luján the 36 votes needed to run the legislation through the committees on Wednesday, with a discussion on the House floor following Wednesday night. It was unclear why Nuñez changed his mind to support the redistricting plan or what he got in return for that switch.

His support for the plan might have cleared a legislative logjam, but it didn't end the intrigue surrounding the legislation.

Jeff remained opposed to the plan Wednesday, saying all the changes requested by the Navajo Nation had not been made.

But Rep. Ray Begaye, D-Shiprock, also a Navajo lawmaker, said the changes requested didn't come from the Navajo Nation as a whole, as Jeff has said, but from a "certain select few."

"It's an internal Navajo struggle," said Begaye, who supports the bill.

Broadly speaking, the plan House lawmakers voted on Wednesday calls for Roswell to lose a House legislative district because of population loss, which would force two Republican lawmakers — Bob Wooley and Dennis Kintigh — to run against each other in next year's GOP primary.

Southwestern New Mexico also would lose a House seat, forcing Democratic incumbent Rudolfo Martinez and Republican incumbent Dianne Hamilton to face off in next year's election.

Two Albuquerque House districts held by Democrats also would consolidate, but Rep. Al Park is not running for re-election, meaning two incumbents would not run against each other there.

West Albuquerque and Rio Rancho, meanwhile, would gain House seats because of explosive population growth over the past decade.

All Santa Fe House districts, meanwhile, would move slightly south, but all remain generally safe, lawmakers said.

Because of the way the plan was drafted, partisan tension was on display Wednesday afternoon.

During a House Voters and Elections Committee meeting, GOP Rep. Nate Gentry of Albuquerque asked demographer Brian Sanderoff of Research & Polling Inc. several questions about the map created to accompany the legislation, including what type of instructions Sanderoff had been given by Democrats.

At one point, House Majority Leader Ken Martinez, D-Grants, jumped in to object, calling Gentry's questioning a cross-examination. Speaker Luján described Gentry's line of questioning as "accusatory."

Defending Gentry was Rep. Conrad James, R-Albuquerque, who said his colleague wasn't questioning Sanderoff's integrity, but merely was "trying to understand the political input."

Sanderoff responded to Gentry that New Mexico had experienced a dramatic shift
in population over the past
10 years, with the west side of Albuquerque and Rio Rancho gaining the most population.

Later, during a meeting of the House Judiciary Committee, Gentry asked Sanderoff how the plan affected strong or leaning Democratic and Republican districts.

Sanderoff said the plan created 40 strong or leaning Democratic districts and 29 strong or leaning Republican districts.

"One is 50-50," Sanderoff said.

But Rep. Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, said after the Judiciary Committee meeting that the plan reduced safe Democratic seats from 32 to 31.

Contact Trip Jennings at 986-3050 or at tjennings@sfnewmexican.com.