Sen. Jorge Garcia of Tucson appears to be the early favorite to become the next minority leader, based on interviews with several colleagues in his caucus.
But others may jump into the race for Democratic leadership positions depending on the results of the November election, senators said.
Indeed, Democrats believe they may be able to take control of the Senate next year. Democrats currently hold 13 seats in the 30-chamber Senate. They need to gain two more seats to tie the Republicans, and three to be in the majority.
Still, Sen. Ken Cheuvront is proceeding as if a turnover of power is going to happen. 
“I’m running for president,” Sen. Ken Cheuvront of Phoenix told the ~Arizona Capitol Times~.
Meanwhile, the contest for Senate president on the Republican side is down to Majority Leader Thayer Verschoor and Appropriations Chairman Bob Burns, GOP lawmakers said.
Chuck Gray, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has dropped out of the presidential contest and is now seeking the post of majority leader, according GOP insiders, some of whom spoke on record and others on background.
Gray did not return calls to clarify his intentions.
Sen. Sylvia Allen, a Republican from Snowflake, said she has thrown her support behind Gray for majority leader. Allen said she also supports Burns for Senate president.
John Huppenthal, the Senate minority whip, has thrown his hat into the race for majority leader. But he said his focus right now is to win re-election in District 20.
“We’ve got to keep the majority,” he said. 
Huppenthal is supporting Verschoor for the Senate’s top post.
Rep. Russell Pearce, who won his primary race for District 18 Senate seat and will face Democrat Judah Nativio in November, said he is backing Burns because the budget crisis makes it necessary to have someone in leadership who is well-versed on the state’s financial matters.
“Thayer’s a friend and this was a tough call, but it’s not about friendship,” Pearce said.
Sen. Rebecca Rios, a Democrat from District 23, said she is interested in the position of assistant minority leader. But a lot remains to be seen with the upcoming election, she said.
“If in fact we are still in the minority, yes, I am going to throw my hat in the ring for assistant,” she said. “I haven’t heard too many other names yet. But, you know, it may just hinge on what the outcome of the general election is.”
Sen. Richard Miranda of Tolleson said Garcia is the only name he has heard for minority leader. Echoing Miranda, Sen. Debbie McCune Davis said: “The person who I have spoken to and who has told me that he is interested in being leader, if we continue as we have been in the minority, is Senator Garcia. And he has done a good job.”
Two names have cropped as potential candidates for minority whip — Sens. Linda Lopez and Paula Aboud.
Rios said she knows Linda Lopez is interested in the post.
Garcia mentioned Aboud. But Garcia said Aboud also might be interested in “something different than whip, or may not be interested at all.”
Aboud could not be reached for comment.
Garcia confirmed he is running for the post of minority leader. He has talked to colleagues about it for some time now, he said.
But Garcia, like other Democrats, holds out hope his caucus will emerge as the majority in the Senate after the November election. He agreed with his colleagues that others may want to see how the numbers shape up after November before deciding whether to run for leadership positions.
Capitol Times Reporter Jim Small contributed to this article.