Ashe, who has served in the Senate since 2009, won his fifth term Tuesday and garnered the most votes of any Senate candidate in Chittenden County.
The other person seeking the position is Sen. Claire Ayer, D-Addison. But in interviews with VTDigger, Ashe’s colleagues expressed broad bipartisan support for him and predicted he would win.
Sen. Joe Benning, R-Caledonia, served as Senate minority leader in the 2015-16 biennium. He said the majority or all of his Republican caucus — which is down to seven senators after Tuesday’s election — would support Ashe.
Five Democrats in the 30-seat Senate also said they would vote for Ashe: Sens. Dick Mazza, representing the Grand Isle District; Philip Baruth, of Chittenden County, the sitting majority leader; Michael Sirotkin, of Chittenden County; and John Rodgers, representing Essex-Orleans; as well as Sen.-elect Chris Pearson, P/D-Chittenden.
Sen. Ginny Lyons, D-Chittenden, said she has not made up her mind but that Ayer reached out to her seeking her support.
Sen. Peg Flory, R-Rutland, said she would support Ashe if the Democrats nominate him.
Ashe and Ayer did not return calls Wednesday seeking comment. Several other Democrats and Sen. Anthony Pollina, P/D-Washington, did not return calls.
Ashe is the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, which handles issues including health care, energy, business regulations and telecommunications.
“When Tim Ashe came to the Senate, I watched him carefully and saw the potential of someone who really was fair,” said Mazza, who sits on the three-person Senate Committee on Committees, which appoints members to committees and includes the lieutenant governor and the pro tem.
“We selected him as chair of Finance, and we had positive feedback about how he ran a committee,” Mazza said. “And though he had his own opinions on many issues, he was always open to people’s suggestions, and thoughts from people on his committee.”
Mazza, who campaigned for Republican Gov.-elect Phil Scott, said his support for Ashe was not about partisan politics but his ability to “represent the whole Senate, whether the Republicans or the Democrats or the Progressives.”
The Senate Democrats will caucus Monday at 5:30 p.m. to discuss whom they will nominate for pro tem. They may discuss two other seats — majority leader and the third slot on the Committee on Committees — that are up for grabs.
Baruth said he decided not to seek re-election as majority leader because the position has “a lot of responsibility and very little in the way of thanks” and his philosophy is to “leave while you still enjoy it.”
He also predicted Ashe would be the new pro tem.
“I think we have an excellent pro tem coming in, and it’s a good opportunity to have a new leadership team that forms up together and goes forward with a kind of new agenda,” Baruth said.
Nobody has come forward seeking to be the new majority leader, Baruth said.
Lyons said she is generally interested in holding a leadership position, but she did not say if she would seek the majority leader position or the seat on the Committee on Committees.
Mazza said he wants to keep his position on the Committee on Committees. He said no one has formally announced an effort to challenge him for the seat.
