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ANNAPOLIS — Senate Republicans on Tuesday unanimously selected Allan H. Kittleman and Nancy Jacobs to lead its vastly outnumbered caucus into the second half of the four-year term.

Former Minority Leader David R. Brinkley (R-Dist. 4) of New Market opted not to seek re-election after his marital troubles were made public when police were called to his home in May. That paved the way for Kittleman's elevation from minority whip and Jacobs to assume the post she sought in 2006.

"I think that Nancy and I have a good reputation with the members of our body, Republican and Democrat," said Kittleman (R-Dist. 9) of West Friendship

With the state mired in a fiscal crisis that will likely consume the 2009 legislative session, Kittleman (R-Dist. 9) of West Friendship and Jacobs (R-Dist. 34) of Abingdon will direct the 14-member GOP caucus' political strategy.

Both lawmakers said they plan to strike a balance between going on the offensive against the Democratic majority and playing the role of loyal opposition.

"We're not going to take ourselves out of the picture," Jacobs said. "We're going to try to continue to work with them and if they divorce us, they filed the paperwork first."

Colleagues think the new team is a good fit to lead the 14-member caucus and build on the foundation Brinkley laid as leader to ensure equal time for debate, fighting government growth and resisting higher taxes.

"You don't nitpick on every issue," said Sen. George C. Edwards (R-Dist. 1) of Grantsville, who served as House Minority Leader from 2003 to 2007. "You pick your battles, … promote the alternatives and do it in as nice a way as you can."

That means being aggressive, at times, and throwing diplomacy out the door. "Sometimes you've got to bang heads to get your point across," he said.

Under Brinkley, the minority caucus enjoyed a largely cordial relationship with Democrats. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Dist. 27) of Chesapeake Beach repeatedly praised Republicans during the last two years for their statesmanlike approach.

Relations with Miller may chill as the 2010 election nears, but the new team said they don't plan to stray from core GOP values, such as smaller government and less taxes.

"We will certainly want to work with the other side to try to solve the budget problems," Kittleman said. "We've tried to do that since I've been down here and frankly we haven't always been included. … If there is going to be a different kind of relationship than in the last year, it's not going to be because of us. It's going to be because the majority does not include us."

Also on Tuesday, the caucus voted to oppose the constitutional amendment that would allow up to 10 days of early voting in future elections and took no position on the referendum to legalize slot machine gambling in Maryland because some members support it.

"I don't think anyone likes the way they've done it, but some members are supportive of slots and they're willing to swallow the amendment," Kittleman said.