House Democrats and conservative Republicans have something in common this week. Both groups, who rarely share the same political ground, may vote in large numbers against the Legislature's compromise budget. Though their criticisms differ, their opposition would send budget negotiations into another round, unraveling the deal reached by House and Senate leaders last week.

"If the Democrats go against it, and the House Republican Alliance goes against it, there's no question the budget will fail,"said Rep. Bob Giuda, a Republican from Warren who's leaning against the budget.

The House and Senate will vote on the two-year spending plan tomorrow, the last day of the legislative session. Though several dozen House Republicans would have to buck party leadership for the budget to fail, its passage is far from certain. GOP leaders including House Speaker Doug Scamman and Majority Leader Mike O'Neil have lobbied unhappy Republicans in recent days, hoping to avoid the tumult that would result from a 'no' vote.

"It's certainly been one of the more aggressive efforts to disseminate information that I've seen," said Rep. Michael Biundo, a conservative Republican from Manchester who hasn't decided how he'll vote on the budget. "I think it shows how worried they are about how the vote will end up."

The budget should pass fairly easily in the Senate, where Republicans have a two-to-one majority. While Republicans enjoy a similar majority in the House, the GOP has been much more fractious there this year.

Conservative Republicans in the House oppose the budget and its companion "trailer" bill for several reasons: an increase to the tax on cigarettes, increases in traffic and court fees without first holding a public hearing, and too much spending across the board.

House Democrats have their own problems with the budget: They say it shortchanges land preservation, hospital payments and disability services, among other expenses; and it includes a Medicaid reform package that Democrats opposed earlier this year. Democrats met for several hours yesterday to review the budget and will gather again today.

"We want to make sure that people across the state are taken care of in this budget," said Rep. John DeJoie, a Concord Democrat. "Today, we're not convinced of that. Most Democrats are very unhappy with this budget."

Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, has said he's satisfied by most of the decisions in the main spending bill. But he's criticized several pieces of the trailer bill, particularly the Medicaid changes and a provision that would limit his ability to set policy for the E-ZPass highway toll system. Lynch has not ruled out vetoing the trailer bill, but he hasn't pressed lawmakers to vote a certain way.

Lynch "has not asked anyone to take a position either way" on the budget, said spokeswoman Pam Walsh. "He's reviewing it to see if there's the will in the Legislature to produce a better product."

Meanwhile, House Republican leaders are working hard to shore up support within their own party. Rep. Fran Wendelboe, the House's deputy majority leader, said she's not taking anything for granted.

"Anything's possible. If the Democrats vote against it in a bloc, it doesn't take too many Republicans voting with them for the budget to fail," she said. "When you add everything together, it's an uphill battle. But we're still optimistic that we'll have Republican numbers to pass this."

Rep. Paul Mirski, a Republican from Enfield, said conservatives are faced with a difficult decision in the current budget proposal. While many oppose the increases to the cigarette tax and court fees, they also fear that sending the budget back for further compromise could result in more spending, not less.

"People are really wrestling with this," Mirski said. "No one wants to vote to increase taxes. It creates a terrific conflict for fiscal conservatives."

If the House rejects the budget proposal tomorrow, there would be a scramble to pass a temporary spending plan, to keep state government solvent until negotiators reach another compromise. Rep. John Gibson, a Merrimack Republican who plans to vote against the budget, said that scenario may be the only way to reach a deal that satisfies a majority of the House.

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