Jan. 20—Jim Townsend leans on an old saying as he works his way through this year’s legislative session.

“‘Grab a half-loaf of bread now and come back for the other half,'” the folksy Republican from Artesia said with a laugh as he sat in his office in the state Capitol.

As part of the minority party — Republicans are outnumbered by Democrats by almost 2-to-1 margins in both the House and Senate — Townsend said he and others in in his party know they may not score many legislative wins during the ’24 session, which enters its second week Monday.

The key, he noted, is to negotiate the best possible agreement in hopes they can benefit as many people as possible. Toward that end, Republicans are gearing up to find any way they can — wheeling, dealing delaying or employing politics’ version of guerrilla warfare — to win a few battles, settle for some stalemates and let their constituents know what they are doing to battle the Democrats.

“We need to work and find common ground, especially on crime and education and the budget, and make sure when we leave here the people of New Mexico are no worse off,” said Townsend, who not long ago was the House minority leader. “That’s a hard row to hoe sometimes.”

Hard, and sometimes impossible.

Several leading Republican lawmakers acknowledge they will lose some battles in the next several weeks.

There may even be some they choose not to fight.

“You’re not going to bring a hyper-partisan issue forward in a 30-day session and expect to get a call,” said Sen. Crystal Brantley, R-Elephant Butte, referring to a message, issued by the governor, that would allow the legislation to be considered.

That won’t stop some from trying: Republican House members John Block and Stefani Lord last week introduced a resolution for articles of impeachment against Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Still, Republicans keep looking for side doors to enter when traditional pathways are blocked. Brantley said messaging constituents back home — all 112 members of the Legislature are up for election in November — is important. Calling constituents directly, including some unlikely Democratic or independent allies in her Southern New Mexico district, also can be effective on some key pieces of legislation, she said.

“I need pressure from New Mexicans to say this is an issue that is important for us,” Brantley said, noting she sometimes urges constituents to phone the Governor’s Office to demand action on a particular issue. She said such efforts can “amplify” her own voice for her party, her cause and her legislation.

Sen. Craig Brandt, R-Rio Rancho, said Republicans can work with Lujan Grisham on proposals in which there’s common ground. By visiting with her staff and others interested in fighting the state’s crime problem, he said he managed to get two crime-related bills on the docket this session with her blessing.

One measure would enact more stringent guidelines for keeping people suspected of committing violent crimes behind bars until they go to trial. Another would update a decades-old racketeering law to allow law enforcement officials to more vigorously prosecute gang activity, among other crimes.

“The key is finding the areas where we agree, and let’s make those the best laws we can,” he said, adding there will be disagreements on other bills, including one calling for a ban on some assault weapons, which Brandt opposes.

Sen. Mark Moores, R-Albuquerque, who is leaving the Legislature at the end of the year, said the 30-day session sometimes allows lawmakers to get more done because of the tight time window.

“You are able to negotiate, [and] you don’t have the breadth of issues; you can dive down a little bit more on issues that are introduced in 30 days,” he said. “You are able to focus in a very short time on smaller issues. In some ways it’s an advantage to try to get things done — get here quickly, get in and get out and back to our real lives.”

Moores, Brandt and other Republicans said it’s not always difficult to find Democrats who share common goals and want to make good legislation, regardless of the issue.

That can be particularly true on the state budget, Moores said.

“A lot of times we both look at the governor’s budget and say, ‘That’s nice; how do we pay for it?’ ” Moores said. “And that’s bipartisan … so there is that pushback from the Legislature to the governor, regardless of what party it is. And that’s healthy for this republic.”

Brantley and Moores said battles between Democrats and Republicans can often be more accurately characterized as a tension between urban and rural interests. But the Albuquerque senator said the divide narrows on issues like crime, water and infrastructure.

Still, there’s a vast philosophical gap between the two parties, which means the one with fewer votes has to look for alternative ways to make a point.

Toward that end, GOP legislators acknowledge there are tools that can help them stave off the Democratic wave: Brandt said he quite enjoys using legislative rules, including filibustering — a talent at which Sen. William Sharer, R-Farmington, is particularly adept — to stall business.

Another weapon is the employment of what is known as “Call of the House” or “Call of the Senate”: procedural moves that require every member of a chamber to be physically present.

It’s a delaying tactic, but one that sometimes works.

“You can do a call of the Senate on everything and stop everything,” Brandt said with a smile.

Then, after a moment of thought, his smile broadened.

“I’ve never done that,” he said. “That’s one I’m thinking about.”