AUGUSTA (AP) – Incoming Senate Democrats, holding a bare 18-17 partisan edge for the new legislative session, are bound to have a mostly new leadership team. But just how new will the new team be?

Heading into a Sunday afternoon caucus, it was unclear. The key question was whether continuity at the top would be guaranteed by unified support for Beth Edmonds of Freeport for a second term as Senate president.

The positions of majority leader and deputy are open, due to the decisions by incumbents Michael Brennan of Portland and Kenneth Gagnon of Waterville not to seek additional legislative terms.

For some time, a contest to succeed Brennan as floor leader appeared to pit Elizabeth Mitchell of Vassalboro against Dennis Damon of Trenton. Mentioned as a potential successor to Gagnon as whip has been Philip Bartlett of Gorham.

Edmunds is regarded as the front runner for Senate president, a job for which ordinarily she would have to be renominated by the Democrats and then elected by the full Senate. Conventionally, that would be assumed, given the Democrats’ numerical advantage over Republicans.

If, however, a Democrat such as caucus maverick John Nutting of Leeds were to stray, Edmond’s fate would become problematic. That is, of course, unless there were similar movement on the other side by some renegade member of the Republican bloc.

Campaigning for positions in legislative leadership is usually conducted outside the public spotlight.

On Tuesday, incoming Senate Republicans elected Carol Weston of Montville as leader and Richard Rosen of Bucksport as assistant floor leader.

Weston, who begins her third Senate term after serving two in the House, held the assistant’s spot last session.

Unlike the Senate, the incoming Maine House of Representatives will not be closely divided by party.

Major gains on Election Day gave Democrats an 89-60 spread over the Republican minority, with two independents.

On Wednesday, Glenn Cummings of Portland, who served as the Democratic floor leader in the House during the past session, won his caucus nomination and is virtually assured to be the new House speaker.

Rep. Hannah Pingree, D-North Haven was elected House majority leader and Bangor Democrat Sean Faircloth was chosen to be the assistant majority leader.

Republicans, who had been hoping to gain a House majority and install Rep. Josh Tardy of Newport at the speaker’s rostrum, were scheduled to regroup Monday.

The new Legislature convenes Dec. 6.