WEST WARWICK — While the jockeying to replace ousted Senate President Joseph A. Montalbano heats up behind the scenes, House Democrats have called a caucus for tonight to reanoint their own leadership team, from House Speaker William J. Murphy and House Majority Leader Gordon D. Fox on down.

The closed-door caucus has been scheduled for 7:30 at Murphy’s favorite hometown haunt, the West Valley Inn.

The actual election of the House speaker is traditionally held the first week of each new legislative session, with Republicans and Democrats casting their votes. But after picking up seats in yesterday’s election, jubilant House Democrats are expected to endorse Murphy for reelection as speaker while reconfirming the rest of their party’s current leadership slate.

Final results are still being tallied, but it appears that Republicans lost 8 of the 13 House seats they currently hold, and gained 1, for a net loss of 7 seats. If those unofficial results hold up, the Republicans will be left with only 6 seats in the 75-member House.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, potential successors are lining up to replace Montalbano, the 20-year incumbent who was toppled by independent Edward O’Neill, a retired Texas Instruments executive.

Among them: Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Paiva Weed, D-Newport; William Walaska, D-Warwick, the chairman of the Senate Corporations Committee; and Sen. Paul V. Jabour, D-Providence.

In an interview yesterday, Walaska, 63, confirmed that he is actively seeking the Senate presidency on the theme that his years in the banking industry, including his 10 years as administrator of the former Old Stone Bank branch system, and his ownership of a three-store auto parts business, Tri-State Automotive Warehouse, give him the kind of financial and management background necessary to grapple with the state’s struggling economy and budget.

Neither Paiva Weed nor Jabour was immediately available for comment, but Walaska, who was first elected to the Senate in 1994, said he would “love to keep” Paiva Weed as majority leader were he to win the presidency.

“Teresa is a smart woman. She’s great lawyer and she’s a fine person,” he said, “but she doesn’t have that management background. No disparagement to attorneys, they don’t have huge staffs ... They are skilled in many other ways but that is not one of them.”

Asked who organized labor was backing in the race, Walaska said: “I want them on my team,” but “right now, that is one of the things that’s fluid.” Labor leaders were unavailable for immediate comment.

kgregg@projo.com