MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) – The House Republican caucus on Sunday elected Rep. Richard Hube of Londonderry to be its leader and Rep. David Sunderland of Rutland Town to be assistant leader.

Leaders of the GOP, relegated to minority status in the House for the first time since 2000, said their immediate goal would be to work with Republican Gov. James Douglas to put the brakes on the ambitions of House Democrats, who won an 83 seat majority in last month’s election.

“The next two years are going to be very difficult; I think we all know that,” Sunderand, an engineer appointed nearly two years ago to fill a House seat opened by Douglas’ appointment of a lawmaker to an administrative post.