By Catharine Richert, CQ Staff

There’s a lot of chatter among Senate Democrats as they try to figure out whether Joseph I. Lieberman should keep his committee chairmanship or be demoted to some other job. But one senator, Evan Bayh of Indiana, said he hasn’t been pressured.

The contacts are more about head-counting than arm-twisting, said Bayh, who supports letting Lieberman stay on as chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

The Connecticut independent angered many Democrats when he campaigned against President-elect Barack Obama , the party’s nominee.

But it appears few Democrats have a desire to come down hard on Lieberman.

Four Senate Democrats have been talking to members of the caucus and leadership to find out what, if anything, should happen to him. The foursome, Thomas R. Carper of Delaware, Ken Salazar of Colorado, Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut and Bill Nelson of Florida, have discussed a number of options with members of the caucus, including stripping Lieberman of his committee gavel, or removing him from some of his current committee assignments, such as Armed Services, Democratic aides say.

“Joe is a colleague of mine,” Dodd said, who said he’s working with leadership and members to see if there is some way to keep Lieberman around. “I don’t want to see my state penalized for a political choice that my colleague made. My state ought not to be penalized for political choices. Most of my colleagues would like to create an opportunity ... if Joe wants to come back to the caucus.

Bayh says he’s had a conversation with one of the four, who was out to gauge his feelings about Lieberman, not defend him. Bayh favors keeping Lieberman in the caucus and allowing him to keep his committee gavel, so long as he apologizes for his words against Obama.

If Lieberman, whose current chairmanship would enable him to do oversight of the administration he campaigned against, does a poor job leading the government oversight panel, “we can always remove committee chairmen,” Bayh said.

“We have to see if it works, and if it does, I think it will be better for everyone,” he said. “If not, then we go to plan B.”

Lieberman also called Bayh to thank him for his support, as did another Democratic senator who Bayh declined to name.

Lieberman, a former Democrat, became an independent in 2006, though he continued to caucus with Democrats and vote with them on most issues except the war in Iraq. He supported Sen. John McCain , R-Ariz., for president.

Since his incendiary speech at the Republican National Convention in September, Democratic leaders have been weighing whether he should be punished for criticizing Obama during the election.

The Democratic majority in the Senate is still in flux. While they have won six seats, three races are undecided. As a result, it is unclear whether Lieberman’s vote will be necessary for the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.