Sen. Russ Fulcher, R-Meridian, has been selected Senate majority caucus chairman, replacing former Chairman John McGee, in a contested election that ran for about 40 minutes in a closed-door Senate GOP caucus. Fulcher held that post previously, serving two years before giving it up to make an unsuccessful bid for Senate president pro-tem. McGee resigned from the Senate last week amid allegations of sexual harassment against a female Senate staffer; the Idaho State Police is now investigating.

"This is a nine-month term," Fulcher said, "and we need to have some continuity. We need to put all our distractions behind us, just plug back in, pull the caucus together and get back to work."

Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis, R-Idaho Falls, said of Fulcher, "I think that he's proven himself in the past, and that past experience was very important to the caucus, as was his high regard in the caucus." Both Davis and Fulcher declined to name the unsuccessful candidates.