Amid widespread speculation that Ben Lujan’s days as speaker of the House may be numbered, Rep. Ken Martinez of Grants, the House majority leader, has admitted he may seek the position.
“It’s too early to tell,” Martinez told the Albuquerque Tribune in explaining that he hasn’t ruled out a run against Lujan. “All of us are considering what would be appropriate in the House.”
House Democrats will pick their leaders on Dec. 18.
Lujan has lost some confidence since he made this statement to me a week ago: “My members are evidently satisfied with my leadership, and there will be no challenge,” he said.
Lujan told the Tribune several days later that “no one has told me they are planning anything. … I’m pretty confident I have the necessary votes to continue.”
Many House Democrats are upset with Lujan because of a $75 million appropriation for the settlement of water-rights lawsuits that he dropped into the capital outlay bill earlier this year without the knowledge of most legislators. They’re also upset about his possible ties to the state housing authority scandal. The Albuquerque Journal reported last week that a top aide to Lujan has been living rent-free in a home owned by the Region III Housing Authority.
Martinez has still not returned phone calls I placed last week. Some politicos I’ve spoken with believe he’ll make a move, while others believe he’ll back off. The game of chess being worked out behind the scenes is intense.
Another politician I’ve been unable to reach for comment is Rep. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces and chair of the House Judiciary Committee. He sought the majority leader position two years ago, but ended up giving his support to Martinez in exchange for the committee chairmanship. Any move by Martinez would mean majority leader is up for grabs, and Cervantes is one who might consider a run.
Several House Democrats from around the state have told me off-the-record that they are fed up with Lujan leading with an iron fist and through back-room deals. Rep. Mary Helen Garcia of Las Cruces has publicly complained about Lujan’s $75-million grab (which was later vetoed by the governor).
And Cervantes, along with Sen. Dede Feldman, introduced legislation earlier this year that would open conference committees to the public. The Senate version died. Cervantes’ bill went nowhere, and he said publicly during a meeting of Common Cause earlier this year in Las Cruces that he believes some legislative leaders killed the proposal as much to keep other legislators out of their meetings as to keep out the public.
Cervantes did not name Lujan, but the speaker joined the Senate’s leadership in publicly opposing the legislation.
There seems to be an obvious point to make here: Many House Democrats have told me they believe Lujan is making secret deals for political gain, not for the betterment of the state, and said they think that’s wrong. Earlier this year, 81 percent of voters in a non-scientific poll on this site said Lujan should not be allowed to continue as speaker.
If House Democrats truly believe Lujan is corrupt, they have a duty to stand up to him. If they don’t, they’re complicit in the activity about which they complain.
We don’t need any more hypocrisy in Santa Fe. We need leaders who do what they believe is right, not what they believe is best for their own political careers.