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RICHMOND -- One day after winning control of the state Senate and gaining seats in the House of Delegates, Virginia Democrats called for cooperation rather than conflict when the General Assembly convenes in January.

Tuesday's elections gave Democrats a slim majority in the Senate for the first time since 1995 and provided Gov. Tim Kaine with some needed legislative muscle for the second half of his term. But voters also left Republicans in firm control of the House of Delegates, creating the potential for partisan gridlock that could stymie the governor's initiatives and make compromise difficult.

The Democratic takeover in the Senate also could increase the influence of lawmakers in fast-growing Northern Virginia and give the party more input on the drawing of new legislative district boundaries in 2011.

Kaine said the Senate shift should help him as he seeks support for a targeted expansion of prekindergarten education and a plan to address the state budget shortfall.

But he dismissed suggestions that the Senate realignment might lead to partisan stalemates with the House, saying, "The folks in leadership positions in both houses are all folks who have a lot of seniority, have been there a while and are used to doing this."

House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, said the two chambers have a history of institutional friction. But, he said Wednesday, "the working relationship is probably going to be the same."

What's less certain, Griffith said, is whether an intense and bitter election campaign will leave Republicans less inclined to accommodate Kaine and the Democrats.

Kaine, who campaigned hard for Democrats throughout the state, said the election's outcome "just means that the legislature is going to match up a lot more to where the Virginia electorate is."

Democrats won 21 of 40 Senate races, a gain of four seats. They also might pursue a recount in a Northern Virginia contest that was decided by 91 votes, according to unofficial returns. A canvass of votes in the 37th District, now represented by Republican Ken Cuccinelli of Fairfax County, should be complete by the end of the week.

For now, Democrats have picked up four seats in each house -- largely the result of gains made in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.

In the Senate, Democratic challengers ousted two Republican incumbents in Fairfax County and another in Norfolk. They also won a Peninsula seat held by Republican Marty Williams of Newport News, who lost a June primary to a more conservative challenger.

But some Democrats said the Senate realignment may not produce dramatic changes in the chamber, where moderate Republicans had considerable influence. Some Democrats predicted that the Senate would have changed more if the GOP stayed in charge, because the retirements of three centrist Republicans could have allowed hard-line conservatives to gain more clout.

"It's less of a philosophical shift and will mean that the Senate will continue a moderate, sensible approach to state government," said Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath County.

But Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Augusta County, said the growing influence of Northern Virginia lawmakers could change the Senate's thrust.

"There's no question there's going to be a significant difference," said Hanger, noting that even the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee could have a Northern Virginian as chairman. Hanger would have headed the panel if Republicans had kept control.

But Hanger said the Democratic majority is too small to pursue an ideological agenda. And he expects senior Democrats to handle fiscal matters in much the same way as moderate Republicans did under GOP rule.

"I would expect that there won't be a significant change there, that there will be a reasonable approach," Hanger said.

The Senate power shift also gives Democrats a significant say in the appointment of judges, a process typically controlled by the majority party. Griffith and Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke, said the partisan split in the legislature will force Roanoke Valley legislators to cooperate on filling judicial vacancies in the region.

"We will have to sit down and talk about it," said Edwards, who will have greater influence on the process. "The selection of judges has become an overtly partisan issue."

Some Democrats boldly predicted greater gains in the House and had hoped to pick up two Republican-held seats in Southwest and Southside Virginia. Instead, their gains were confined to Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.

"I still think Virginia is not as Republican as a 54-44 House split would indicate," said House Minority Leader Ward Armstrong, D-Henry County.

Griffith, the Republican leader, tweaked Armstrong for the Democrats' failure to pick up seats in Western Virginia, saying: "Ward's a great minority leader for Tidewater and Northern Virginia."