<p>BATON ROUGE - With Louisiana Gov.-elect Kathleen Blanco on vacation, senators are battling behind the scenes to see who will emerge as president of the state Senate.</p>
<p>The short list of candidates includes senators from throughout the state - some of whom actively are campaigning, such as Francis Heitmeier, D-New Orleans, Don Hines, D-Bunkie, and Joe McPherson, D-Alexandria. Hines, who supported Blanco and gave her information about health care, is emerging as the most likely winner.</p>