Topeka ? Sen. Susan Wagle has made it official: She’s making a run to replace Senate President Steve Morris.

Wagle, a conservative Republican from Wichita, announced Monday that she had mailed letters the night before to all Senate Republicans announcing her candidacy. Morris, a moderate from Hugoton, is seeking a second term in the Senate’s top job. If he wins the Dec. 1 vote by the GOP caucus, he would be the first to hold the chamber’s top position for two terms in 25 years.

Wagle’s entry in the race guarantees both chambers will face the possibility of new leaders. House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, a Republican from Ingalls, is being challenged by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Mike O’Neal, a Hutchinson Republican.

Republicans control both chambers, and the caucuses decide the leadership lineup. All members in each chamber ratify the choices for top two positions after the Legislature convenes Jan. 14 in a vote that is generally a formality.

After last week’s elections, Republicans in-creased their majority in the 40-member Senate to 31.

The Senate president’s race pits moderates, who make up the majority of Republicans in that chamber, against conservatives. Depending on who’s counting, moderates could have anywhere from 16, the minimum needed within the GOP caucus, to 20 when they vote by secret ballot.

Wagle and Morris each said Monday that they have the votes to win.

“I received a lot of calls from my colleagues and I’m flattered by their encouragement to run,” Wagle said. “They want a fresh face and new leadership.”

Wagle served 10 years in the House, where she was speaker pro tem for four years, before moving to the Senate in 2000. Morris first was elected to the Senate in 1992 and has served on the Ways and Means Committee as either a member or chairman since then.

Morris said Wagle’s announcement came as no surprise.

“I have anticipated her doing this for a quite a while,” he said. “Very seldom do you have a leadership race that isn’t competitive. It doesn’t change anything. You still have to get your votes.”

Many senators expect the outcome to be close, because a secret ballot means someone could cross over to the other faction without being found out.