PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Senate finally has a minority leader.

The tiny Senate Republican bloc settled its two-to-two standoff and today reelected Sen.
Dennis Algiere, R-Westerly, to a seventh term in the post.

Algiere won after his opponent, Sen. Leo Blais, R-Coventry, decided to drop his bid.

Blais said he felt "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one, so Dennis and I came to a meeting of the minds that it was better for the Senate, better for the caucus and better for the balance of power within the building to have someone sitting in the big chair. I yielded to his years of experience and we move on.''

The vote was unanimous.

"As we said from the beginning, this was never personal,'' Blais said. "It's just a matter of agreeing together that we are going to be more diligent in organizing to promote Republican Senate elections within the state....That's why we are here. That's our job the next two years.''