State House GOP picks Rep. Rod Montoya as new leader

Apr. 5—House Republicans have picked a conservative lawmaker known for his direct and sometimes combative style at the Roundhouse as their new minority leader.

Rep. Rod Montoya, R-Farmington, said Friday his leadership style is one of collaboration. But Montoya, who is among the more seasoned Republican lawmakers remaining in the House as others retire or choose not to run for reelection, said he also stands up for what he believes.

"I'm direct," Montoya, 57, acknowledged. "I would say whether or not I'm combative depends on who I'm working with, you know?"

He served as the Republican whip for six years when former state Rep. Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, was the speaker. "And there were definitely times where the speaker was very aggressive, and frankly, the aggressor sets the terms, and Egolf set those terms a lot of time," he said.

Egolf declined to engage in a tit for tat.

"I'll just say I congratulate Rod on becoming the new minority leader, and I wish him all the very best," he said.

Montoya succeeds former Rep. Ryan Lane, R-Aztec, who resigned last month before the end of his second term, saying he was stepping down to spend more time with his family. Lane's departure set in motion a change in leadership among House Republicans just months before the June primary and about eight months before the November general election — a critical time as both parties hope not only to pick up seats but also to avoid losses.

The House GOP caucus also elected freshman Rep. Alan Martínez, R-Bernalillo, as minority whip. Martínez, who could not be reached for comment late Friday, succeeds Rep. Jim Townsend, R-Artesia, who is running unopposed for a Senate seat.

Rep. Gail Armstrong, R-Magdalena, will remain in her current role as caucus chairperson. Montoya said both he and Armstrong ran for minority leader.

"I went in fairly confident with my vote count that I had the votes," he said.

The House GOP caucus announced the elections of Montoya and Martínez in a news release issued Friday, calling the leadership change "a significant shift toward a revitalized future for New Mexico House Republicans.

"Representative Montoya, known for his powerful conservative message and bold presence on the House floor, vows to take his vision directly to New Mexicans and focus on policies that promote education choice, job growth, safe communities, and affordable and reliable energy," the release says.

While Montoya may be likely to play the most active role in setting the tone when it comes to legislative dealings, both Martínez and Armstrong are known as being more moderate lawmakers prone to working, when possible, across the aisle to make inroads.

In a brief interview before she boarded an airplane, Armstrong said she is a "team player, and I'm going to keep working my rear end off to create more of a balance with the legislators in Santa Fe."

She said it's "too early" to say what strategies House Republican leadership will pursue in terms of dealing with House Democrats.

Like Armstrong, Montoya, who has served in the Legislature since 2015, vowed to be a team player.

"As far as I'm concerned, politics, especially as a member of a caucus, is a team sport," he said. "You win together, and you lose together, and so I believe in putting a team together and working with a team."

Montoya noted several seasoned Republicans are leaving the House at the end of the year.

"We're set to lose about, I believe that I counted up 76 years of legislative experience by people that either have retired or are retiring or moving over to the Senate," he said. "So I stayed in the House rather than going to the Senate myself because I thought there was going to be a void of experience.

"I think that we have a good group of young legislators that I think need to be groomed in a way to grow into the role that they have, so I expect to try and help each one of them reach their own potential," he continued.

Montoya said he has a good relationship with House Speaker Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque, noting they co-sponsored a memorial last year.

"Like I said, I believe I'm collaborative," he said. "At the same time, I don't believe that myself or House Republicans, even though we're in the minority, are expected to just give up or surrender."

Camille Ward, a spokeswoman for the House Democratic caucus, said in a statement the speaker and House Democrats congratulated the new Republican leadership team.

"We hope to maintain the tone of respect and civility that we have cultivated over the past two years, so that we can continue to deliver results on the issues that matter most to the people of New Mexico — good schools, healthy families, safe communities, and a strong, sustainable economy," she said.

Montoya, who previously served as chief of staff to former Lt. Gov. John Sanchez, said he's "been around a lot of good leaders" in the past and plans to mimic their qualities.

"I'm going to steal a little bit from everybody — everything that I admired from each one of them, and I'm going to try and implement that," he said.