Taking her next step toward an independent campaign for governor this year, state Rep. Barbara Merrill of Appleton has left the Democratic Party on the eve of a new legislative session.

Merrill has been following the playbook of former Gov. Angus King in preparing for a possible campaign by publishing a book of her ideas on state government. She’s also bucked the Democratic Party when its initiatives ran counter to her own. She has worked to establish her credibility outside the party.

Her desertion from the Democratic Party has also thrown Augusta into a tizzy. Democrats and Republicans now hold 73 seats each in the House, with four unenrolled representatives and one Green.

Republican leaders have called for Speaker John Richardson to embrace a power-sharing arrangement that would put some of the party’s members into committee chairs and more equitably divide committee membership and staff support.

Richardson and Minority Leader David Bowles are scheduled to meet today to discuss what happens next.

But the timing of Merrill’s move makes realignment difficult. With the legislative session beginning today, committees have been at work for some time on the issues they face before adjournment in mid-April. Adding new Republicans to committees would put them at a huge disadvantage. They would start out behind and face a steep learning curve.

Reorganizing committees by appointing new House chairmen so close to the start of the session could also throw the consideration of bills into disarray. Discretion on committee assignments rests with the speaker; replacing Democratic chairmen with Republicans would not be popular within his own caucus and would set up furious internal lobbying by lawmakers to hold on to their authority.

But as difficult logistically as the process might be, the numbers in the House dictate that Richardson and Bowles reach some sort of bipartisan accord.

Richardson finds himself in a difficult position. If he accommodates Republicans, he risks alienating members of his party and reducing his own power. If he doesn’t, he will be ignoring the fact that Democrats are no longer the majority party in the House. And all of this is happening with a fall election serving as the backdrop. That’s a test of leadership.