North Dakota Senate Republicans took less than a half-hour to choose their leadership team for the 2007 Legislature, picking Bismarck Sen. Bob Stenehjem for another term as majority leader.

Sen. Randy Christmann, R-Hazen, was re-elected as Stenehjem's assistant, while Fessenden Sen. Jerry Klein got another term as GOP Senate caucus chairman, a job that includes responsibility for helping Senate candidates prepare for the 2008 elections.

All three men ran unopposed.

Although Republican senators saw their ranks thinned by last week's elections, they still hold a 26-21 majority over rival Democrats. Democrats gained six Senate seats, a result that Sen. Dwight Cook, R-Mandan, attributed Tuesday to "the Bush virus," referring to the sagging popularity of Republican President George W. Bush.

Republicans also control the House, 61-33. On Monday, GOP House lawmakers re-elected Fargo Rep. Rick Berg as their majority leader. The Legislature's Democrats are electing their leaders next month.

Stenehjem said the smaller Republican Senate majority may lead to a more cohesive group of GOP lawmakers.

"We know that there isn't so many that can be off the caucus line," he said. "And I'm going to work harder this session to bring everybody in the caucus in, let them know where the financial big picture of the state is … so they feel they have a better grasp of it."

One of the Legislature's biggest challenges will be deciding what to do with a state budget surplus that is expected to top $500 million, Stenehjem said.

"We want to figure out what the sustainable growth … is, and we want to stick to that," he said. "We need to take what's remaining and put some away in our strategic reserve … and we can afford to do some one-time spending."

One-time spending initiatives could include building projects, veterans' bonuses or early retirement of state debt, Stenehjem said.

Stenehjem, who works as a street foreman for the city of Bismarck, has been the GOP Senate majority leader since April 2001. He was first elected to the Senate in 1992. He is the brother of Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem.