SANTA FE - Democratic state Rep. Andy Nuñez, removed from a committee chairmanship Thursday in a nasty party rift, said he may become an independent.

"I'll never become a Republican. I couldn't ever do that," the Hatch Democrat said in an interview. "If I did change I might become an independent, but that's down the road."

His immediate plan, he said, is to continue representing his district by casting the votes he thinks he should.

House Speaker Ben Lujan stripped Nuñez of his chairmanship of the Water and Natural Resources Committee on Thursday. It happened just 48 hours after Nuñez participated in a failed attempt to oust Lujan as speaker of the House.

"He didn't even leave me on the committee," Nuñez said. "It's all right. I am doing fine."

Lujan moved Nuñez to seats on the transportation and education committees. In addition to being chairman of the Water and Natural Resources Committee. Nuñez had served on the Energy Committee.

Nuñez and Lujan, both 75 years old, seemed to be on a collision course since the November elections. Nuñez said the results, in which Republicans took eight House seats from Democrats, were reason for a change in leadership.

Nuñez backed fellow Democrat Joseph Cervantes of Las Cruces for speaker. He said he thought enough House members from both parties were on board to defeat Lujan.

Cervantes said he also thought he had the votes to win the speakership. But his campaign collapsed about 12 hours before the vote on Tuesday.

Cervantes

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said Republicans closed ranks behind a candidate of their own because 12 freshman Republicans were not about to support a Democrat on their first vote.

Lujan prevailed 36-33 in a straight party vote against Republican Rep. Tom Taylor of Farmington. Nuñez abstained, the only Democrat to snub Lujan publicly.

"I've always voted how I wanted to, and that's not going to change," Nuñez said. "I've never voted down party lines."

Lujan, of Santa Fe County, said he replaced Nuñez because he wanted unity among the 14 Democratic committee chairmen. Republicans got one chairmanship from Lujan, a housekeeping detail called the Enrolling and Engrossing Committee that double-checks bills.

As for Cervantes, Lujan kept him as vice chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Cervantes chaired that committee four year ago, only to be removed by Lujan after another House member started a campaign for speaker.

Democrat Mary Helen Garcia, another Cervantes supporter, fared better Thursday. Lujan named her chairwoman of the Voters and Elections Committee.

Santa Fe Bureau Chief Milan Simonich can be reached at msimonich@tnmnp.com or (505) 820-6898. His blog can be found on the Sun-News website.